Policy & legislation
District profile / California
San Francisco Unified
48,902
Students
2024-25 school year
113
Schools
2024-25 school year
$17,416
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 27% above the California median
21.0
Students per teacher
2024-25 · California median 21.7
San Francisco Unified is a public school district based in San Francisco, California, serving 48,902 students in 113 schools. By enrollment it ranks #7 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 99% of them. Its schools average 433 students each, fewer than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Maria Su. It spends about $17,416 per student on day-to-day operations, 27% more than the California median. It has roughly 21.0 students per teacher. We've matched 29 news stories to the district.
How San Francisco compares
San FranciscoCalifornia median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$1.23 billion in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 8%State 36%Local 56%
| Measure | San Francisco | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $17,416 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $9,748 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $1.16 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $1.23 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 2,326 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 4,392 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 21.0 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 575 | 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 →Maria Su
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
29 stories matchedTeaching & learning
‘Segregation’: Parents call SFUSD’s school assignment proposal racially discriminatory
Teaching & learning
San Francisco Unified parents worried district is not doing enough to combat racism
Teaching & learning
A late pitch, a split board, and grieving parents: Behind SFUSD’s seismic lottery vote
Teaching & learning
SFUSD to develop neighborhood-based assignment system for elementary schools
Teaching & learning
SFUSD to replace school lottery with neighborhood assignments
Teaching & learning
SFUSD is ditching its lottery. Parents are asking: What if we hate our neighborhood school?
Teaching & learning
San Francisco Unified to replace elementary school lottery with neighborhood-based student assignment
Leadership
San Francisco Unified to remove lottery system, assign students to neighborhood schools
Teaching & learning
SFUSD Moves Closer to Neighborhood-Based Enrollment in Historic Vote
Teaching & learning
SFUSD board votes for neighborhood school plan
Teaching & learning
SFUSD board backs neighborhood schools, ending elementary school lottery
Teaching & learning
In historic vote, SFUSD board embraces sending students to neighborhood schools
Teaching & learning
San Francisco Unified School District board to vote on lottery enrollment system
Policy & legislation
SFUSD commissioners vote on ending school choice lottery in favor of neighborhood models
Teaching & learning
How SFUSD can fix its school assignment lottery
Teaching & learning
SFUSD is overhauling how it assigns students to schools. Here’s what to know
Leadership
Meet the school board candidates: How should SFUSD use its reserves?
Policy & legislation
San Francisco Unified to replace school lottery system
Teaching & learning
SFUSD is replacing its school lottery. Here’s what you need to know
School safety
SFUSD Informal Student Discipline Under Scrutiny in SF
Leadership
Meet the Candidates: San Francisco’s school board race
Teaching & learning
As SFUSD grapples with lottery system, parents say they want better schools
School safety
SFUSD Sends Students Home Without Recording Suspensions
Teaching & learning
SFUSD is set to overhaul its enrollment lottery. Nobody can agree on how
Teaching & learning
SFUSD finds temporary site for first TK-8 Mandarin-language school
Teaching & learning
San Francisco Unified parents call for restrictions on AI-based literacy program
Leadership
Congressional Republicans grill unfazed San Francisco superintendent on gender policies
Leadership
Middle school miracle: How one San Francisco school went from ‘carnage’ to a waitlist
Peer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corona-Norco UnifiedNorco | 49,487 | 53 | $12,310 | 24.0 | #6 |
| San Francisco UnifiedSan Francisco · this district | 48,902 | 113 | $17,416 | 21.0 | #7 |
| San Bernardino City UnifiedSan Bernardino | 44,192 | 76 | $16,530 | 20.5 | #8 |
| Clovis UnifiedClovis | 43,669 | 51 | $12,375 | 22.2 | #9 |
| Kern HighBakersfield | 43,237 | 25 | $13,940 | 23.9 | #10 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County SchoolsFayetteville, NC | 49,002 | $10,286 | 16.8 |
| Detroit Public Schools Community DistrictDetroit, MI | 48,828 | $17,246 | 16.1 |
| Horry 01Conway, SC | 48,662 | $11,927 | 14.5 |
| Humble ISDHumble, TX | 48,502 | $10,341 | 14.9 |
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-san-francisco-unified