Vista Unified
Vista Unified is a public school district based in Vista, California, serving 18,112 students in 26 schools. By enrollment it ranks #66 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 88% of them. Its schools average 697 students each, more than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Matt Doyle. It spends about $13,817 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 20.7 students per teacher.
How Vista compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Vista | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $13,817 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $9,142 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $304.4 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $329.5 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 876 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 2,094 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 20.7 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 312 | 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 →Matt Doyle
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colton Joint UnifiedColton | 18,414 | 28 | $14,285 | 20.9 | #65 |
| Vista UnifiedVista · this district | 18,112 | 26 | $13,817 | 20.7 | #66 |
| Palmdale ElementaryPalmdale | 17,941 | 29 | $15,361 | 23.2 | #67 |
| Jurupa UnifiedJurupa Valley | 17,815 | 25 | $13,456 | 22.4 | #68 |
| Ontario-MontclairOntario | 17,695 | 33 | $15,539 | 21.4 | #69 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rankin County School DistrictBrandon, MS | 18,196 | $9,860 | 13.0 |
| Auburn School DistrictAuburn, WA | 18,174 | $15,919 | 17.3 |
| Highline School DistrictBurien, WA | 18,072 | $17,087 | 17.9 |
| Davidson County SchoolsLexington, NC | 17,985 | $9,233 | 16.2 |
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-vista-unified