Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified is a public school district based in Santa Monica, California, serving 8,623 students in 17 schools. By enrollment it ranks #174 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 69% of them. Its schools average 507 students each, about the same as the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Antonio Shelton. It spends about $17,123 per student on day-to-day operations, 25% more than the California median. It has roughly 18.6 students per teacher.
How Santa Monica-Malibu compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Santa Monica-Malibu | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $17,123 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $10,262 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $373.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $267.4 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 463 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,134 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 18.6 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 345 | 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 →Antonio Shelton
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 Monica-Malibu 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica-Malibu UnifiedSanta Monica · this district | 8,623 | 17 | $17,123 | 18.6 | #174 |
| Oak Grove ElementarySan Jose | 8,578 | 18 | $12,463 | 23.5 | #175 |
| Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint UnifiedYucaipa | 8,524 | 14 | $13,008 | 23.4 | #176 |
| Sequoia Union HighRedwood City | 8,516 | 6 | $20,527 | 17.6 | #177 |
| Campbell Union HighSan Jose | 8,514 | 6 | $13,855 | 21.6 | #178 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Allegheny School DistrictPittsburgh, PA | 8,613 | $17,893 | 13.9 |
| Sun Prairie Area School DistrictSun Prairie, WI | 8,596 | $13,009 | 12.2 |
| Flagstaff Unified District (4192)Flagstaff, AZ | 8,595 | $10,382 | 15.7 |
| Traverse City Area Public SchoolsTraverse City, MI | 8,584 | $11,776 | 19.1 |
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-monica-malibu-unified