Infrastructure
District profile / California
Newport-Mesa Unified
17,635
Students
2024-25 school year
32
Schools
2024-25 school year
$17,937
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 31% above the California median
18.9
Students per teacher
2024-25 · California median 21.7
Newport-Mesa Unified is a public school district based in Costa Mesa, California, serving 17,635 students in 32 schools. By enrollment it ranks #70 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 88% of them. Its schools average 551 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Wesley Smith. It spends about $17,937 per student on day-to-day operations, 31% more than the California median. It has roughly 18.9 students per teacher. We've matched 1 news story to the district.
How Newport-Mesa compares
Newport-MesaCalifornia median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$407.0 million in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 7%State 14%Local 79%
| Measure | Newport-Mesa | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $17,937 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $10,329 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $365.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $407.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 934 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 2,621 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 18.9 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 321 | 474 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The California median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Wesley Smith
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
1 story matchedPeer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jurupa UnifiedJurupa Valley | 17,815 | 25 | $13,456 | 22.4 | #68 |
| Ontario-MontclairOntario | 17,695 | 33 | $15,539 | 21.4 | #69 |
| Newport-Mesa UnifiedCosta Mesa · this district | 17,635 | 32 | $17,937 | 18.9 | #70 |
| ABC UnifiedCerritos | 17,612 | 31 | $12,553 | 22.6 | #71 |
| Santa Maria-BonitaSanta Maria | 17,408 | 21 | $13,224 | 21.2 | #72 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee'S Summit R-VIILee'S Summit, MO | 17,870 | $12,372 | 14.6 |
| Rowan-Salisbury SchoolsSalisbury, NC | 17,683 | $10,804 | 17.3 |
| Ouachita ParishWest Monroe, LA | 17,435 | $11,720 | 14.8 |
| Jackson Public SchoolsJackson, MS | 17,429 | $11,220 | 13.9 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-ca-newport-mesa-unified