Santa Maria-Bonita
Santa Maria-Bonita is a public school district based in Santa Maria, California, serving 17,408 students in 21 schools. By enrollment it ranks #72 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 87% of them. Its schools average 829 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Darren McDuffie. It spends about $13,224 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 21.2 students per teacher.
How Santa Maria-Bonita compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Santa Maria-Bonita | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $13,224 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,414 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $238.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $274.8 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 820 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,804 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 21.2 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 967 | 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 →Darren McDuffie
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 Santa Maria-Bonita 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario-MontclairOntario | 17,695 | 33 | $15,539 | 21.4 | #69 |
| Newport-Mesa UnifiedCosta Mesa | 17,635 | 32 | $17,937 | 18.9 | #70 |
| ABC UnifiedCerritos | 17,612 | 31 | $12,553 | 22.6 | #71 |
| Santa Maria-BonitaSanta Maria · this district | 17,408 | 21 | $13,224 | 21.2 | #72 |
| Hayward UnifiedHayward | 17,377 | 28 | $15,824 | 21.3 | #73 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita ParishWest Monroe, LA | 17,435 | $11,720 | 14.8 |
| Jackson Public SchoolsJackson, MS | 17,429 | $11,220 | 13.9 |
| Rochester Public School DistrictRochester, MN | 17,171 | $13,420 | n/a |
| Wayne County Public SchoolsGoldsboro, NC | 17,150 | $10,063 | 18.1 |
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-maria-bonita