Leadership
District profile / California
Santa Ana Unified
36,036
Students
2024-25 school year
52
Schools
2024-25 school year
$15,998
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 17% above the California median
20.0
Students per teacher
2024-25 · California median 21.7
Santa Ana Unified is a public school district based in Santa Ana, California, serving 36,036 students in 52 schools. By enrollment it ranks #17 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 97% of them. Its schools average 693 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Lorraine Perez. It spends about $15,998 per student on day-to-day operations, 17% more than the California median. It has roughly 20.0 students per teacher. We've matched 1 news story to the district.
How Santa Ana compares
Santa AnaCalifornia median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$856.0 million in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 15%State 56%Local 28%
| Measure | Santa Ana | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $15,998 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $10,226 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $793.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $856.0 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 1,802 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 4,319 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 20.0 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 257 | 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 →Lorraine Perez
Source: California Department of Education, School Directory, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
1 story matchedPeer districts in California
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento City UnifiedSacramento | 37,913 | 73 | $15,654 | 22.0 | #15 |
| Garden Grove UnifiedGarden Grove | 37,009 | 66 | $14,737 | 22.9 | #16 |
| Santa Ana UnifiedSanta Ana · this district | 36,036 | 52 | $15,998 | 20.0 | #17 |
| Poway UnifiedSan Diego | 34,405 | 39 | $12,246 | 22.7 | #18 |
| Sweetwater Union HighChula Vista | 34,282 | 29 | $12,784 | 22.3 | #19 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville ISDBrownsville, TX | 36,140 | $12,011 | 14.9 |
| St. Tammany ParishCovington, LA | 35,956 | $13,926 | 12.8 |
| Cabarrus County SchoolsConcord, NC | 35,772 | $9,927 | 16.5 |
| Savannah-Chatham CountySavannah, GA | 35,744 | $12,890 | 13.0 |
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-santa-ana-unified