Santa Clara Unified
Santa Clara Unified is a public school district based in Santa Clara, California, serving 14,448 students in 30 schools. By enrollment it ranks #92 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 84% of them. Its schools average 482 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Damon Wright. It spends about $20,344 per student on day-to-day operations, 48% more than the California median. It has roughly 19.0 students per teacher.
How Santa Clara compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Santa Clara | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $20,344 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $12,559 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $551.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $455.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 760 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,747 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 19.0 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 535 | 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 →Damon Wright
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alhambra UnifiedAlhambra | 14,597 | 16 | $14,830 | 23.0 | #90 |
| Norwalk-La Mirada UnifiedNorwalk | 14,577 | 26 | $14,885 | 22.8 | #91 |
| Santa Clara UnifiedSanta Clara · this district | 14,448 | 30 | $20,344 | 19.0 | #92 |
| Ventura UnifiedVentura | 14,379 | 27 | $12,949 | 24.1 | #93 |
| Burbank UnifiedBurbank | 14,168 | 20 | $12,045 | 24.3 | #94 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| LowellLowell, MA | 14,457 | $17,683 | 12.6 |
| Toms River Regional School DistrictToms River, NJ | 14,454 | $18,038 | 13.8 |
| Frederick County Public SchoolsWinchester, VA | 14,447 | $13,508 | 14.1 |
| Red Clay Consolidated School DistrictWilmington, DE | 14,444 | $18,801 | 13.8 |
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-clara-unified