Palm Springs Unified
Palm Springs Unified is a public school district based in Palm Springs, California, serving 20,008 students in 28 schools. By enrollment it ranks #57 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 90% of them. Its schools average 715 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Marcus Funchess. It spends about $16,422 per student on day-to-day operations, 20% more than the California median. It has roughly 20.0 students per teacher.
How Palm Springs compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Palm Springs | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $16,422 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $10,100 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $404.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $470.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 1,002 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 2,298 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 20.0 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 318 | 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 →Marcus Funchess
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pomona UnifiedPomona | 20,475 | 37 | $15,804 | 21.1 | #55 |
| Fairfield-Suisun UnifiedFairfield | 20,359 | 31 | $11,661 | 24.1 | #56 |
| Palm Springs UnifiedPalm Springs · this district | 20,008 | 28 | $16,422 | 20.0 | #57 |
| East Side Union HighSan Jose | 20,001 | 16 | $12,685 | 22.2 | #58 |
| Madera UnifiedMadera | 19,935 | 28 | $14,158 | 19.7 | #59 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harnett County SchoolsLillington, NC | 20,095 | $9,660 | 17.3 |
| Bridgeport School DistrictBridgeport, CT | 20,022 | $18,420 | 14.6 |
| Berkeley County SchoolsMartinsburg, WV | 20,006 | $11,795 | 14.9 |
| Akron CityAkron, OH | 19,986 | $16,491 | 13.2 |
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-palm-springs-unified