Palo Verde Unified
Palo Verde Unified is a public school district based in Blythe, California, serving 2,610 students in 6 schools. By enrollment it ranks #384 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 31% of them. Its schools average 435 students each, fewer than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is April Smith. It spends about $14,210 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 22.5 students per teacher.
How Palo Verde compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Palo Verde | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $14,210 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,086 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $43.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $51.5 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 116 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 307 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 22.5 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 373 | 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 →April Smith
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solana Beach ElementarySolana Beach | 2,620 | 7 | $20,410 | 22.4 | #383 |
| Palo Verde UnifiedBlythe · this district | 2,610 | 6 | $14,210 | 22.5 | #384 |
| Exeter UnifiedExeter | 2,597 | 7 | $13,072 | 20.9 | #385 |
| Orinda UnionOrinda | 2,594 | 5 | $13,192 | 21.1 | #386 |
| Nevada Joint Union HighGrass Valley | 2,574 | 5 | $16,445 | 20.8 | #387 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon City School DistrictBeacon, NY | 2,613 | $24,654 | 10.2 |
| Van Alstyne ISDVan Alstyne, TX | 2,612 | $9,283 | 14.3 |
| Uinta County School District #1Evanston, WY | 2,612 | $16,855 | 11.8 |
| Boaz CityBoaz, AL | 2,607 | $10,577 | 17.7 |
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-palo-verde-unified