Leadership
District profile / California
Pajaro Valley Unified
16,588
Students
2024-25 school year
34
Schools
2024-25 school year
$15,608
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 14% above the California median
21.3
Students per teacher
2024-25 · California median 21.7
Pajaro Valley Unified is a public school district based in Watsonville, California, serving 16,588 students in 34 schools. By enrollment it ranks #74 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 87% of them. Its schools average 488 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Heather Contreras. It spends about $15,608 per student on day-to-day operations, 14% more than the California median. It has roughly 21.3 students per teacher. We've matched 6 news stories to the district.
How Pajaro Valley compares
Pajaro ValleyCalifornia median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$341.2 million in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 16%State 55%Local 29%
| Measure | Pajaro Valley | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $15,608 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,527 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $317.4 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $341.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 779 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,881 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 21.3 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 395 | 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 →Heather Contreras
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
6 stories matchedTeaching & learning
Pajaro Valley school district considers closing nine elementary schools
Budget & finance
Civility, budget oversight among goals of Robin Sukow’s Pajaro Valley school board race
Leadership
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Q&A
Leadership
Pajaro Valley school board candidate faces felony charges for allegedly filing false campaign documents
Leadership
Felony convictions can’t keep Pajaro Valley candidate from running for school board
Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pajaro Valley UnifiedWatsonville · this district | 16,588 | 34 | $15,608 | 21.3 | #74 |
| Grossmont Union HighEl Cajon | 16,476 | 15 | $15,094 | 22.0 | #75 |
| Alvord UnifiedCorona | 16,466 | 26 | $15,196 | 22.1 | #76 |
| Compton UnifiedCompton | 16,436 | 37 | $15,556 | 24.0 | #77 |
| Napa Valley UnifiedNapa | 16,103 | 26 | $12,008 | 23.4 | #78 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading School DistrictReading, PA | 16,664 | $12,291 | 15.2 |
| Indian River CountyVero Beach, FL | 16,621 | $10,484 | 17.7 |
| Alexandria City Public SchoolsAlexandria, VA | 16,575 | $19,370 | 15.1 |
| Rio RanchoRio Rancho, NM | 16,519 | $10,657 | 17.9 |
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-pajaro-valley-unified