Poway Unified
Poway Unified is a public school district based in San Diego, California, serving 34,405 students in 39 schools. By enrollment it ranks #18 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 97% of them. Its schools average 882 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Benjamin Churchill. It spends about $12,246 per student on day-to-day operations, 11% less than the California median. It has roughly 22.7 students per teacher.
How Poway compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Poway | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,246 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,624 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $509.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $551.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 1,517 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 3,479 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 22.7 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 425 | 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 →Benjamin Churchill
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to Poway Unified yet. Recent California coverage is on the California page.
Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poway UnifiedSan Diego · this district | 34,405 | 39 | $12,246 | 22.7 | #18 |
| Sweetwater Union HighChula Vista | 34,282 | 29 | $12,784 | 22.3 | #19 |
| Oakland UnifiedOakland | 33,838 | 84 | $18,173 | 18.8 | #20 |
| Stockton UnifiedStockton | 33,648 | 54 | $15,856 | 23.0 | #21 |
| Fremont UnifiedFremont | 33,134 | 44 | $11,623 | 24.0 | #22 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Public SchoolsCincinnati, OH | 34,531 | $16,345 | 15.9 |
| Adams 12 Five Star SchoolsThornton, CO | 34,466 | $12,402 | 17.3 |
| Peoria Unified School District (4237)Glendale, AZ | 34,436 | $8,957 | 18.6 |
| Ysleta ISDEl Paso, TX | 34,062 | $11,475 | 14.6 |
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-poway-unified