Policy & legislation
District profile / California
West Contra Costa Unified
25,244
Students
2024-25 school year
54
Schools
2024-25 school year
$15,242
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 11% above the California median
22.0
Students per teacher
2024-25 · California median 21.7
West Contra Costa Unified is a public school district based in Richmond, California, serving 25,244 students in 54 schools. By enrollment it ranks #36 of the 554 California districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 94% of them. Its schools average 467 students each, fewer than the California median of 533. Its superintendent is Cheryl Cotton. It spends about $15,242 per student on day-to-day operations, 11% more than the California median. It has roughly 22.0 students per teacher. We've matched 1 news story to the district.
How West Contra Costa compares
West Contra CostaCalifornia median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$629.7 million in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 16%State 48%Local 37%
| Measure | West Contra Costa | California median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $15,242 | $13,724 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,807 | $8,321 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $505.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $629.7 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 1,146 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 2,510 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 22.0 | 21.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 742 | 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 →Cheryl Cotton
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Sands UnifiedLa Quinta | 25,615 | 35 | $13,985 | 23.7 | #32 |
| Chino Valley UnifiedChino | 25,579 | 35 | $11,682 | 23.4 | #33 |
| Glendale UnifiedGlendale | 25,329 | 34 | $14,037 | 23.6 | #34 |
| Manteca UnifiedManteca | 25,248 | 29 | $11,831 | 23.4 | #35 |
| West Contra Costa UnifiedRichmond · this district | 25,244 | 54 | $15,242 | 22.0 | #36 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent School DistrictKent, WA | 25,358 | $15,847 | 18.0 |
| Utica Community SchoolsSterling Heights, MI | 25,297 | $11,538 | 17.9 |
| New Hanover County SchoolsWilmington, NC | 25,155 | $11,358 | 15.3 |
| Madison Metropolitan School DistrictMadison, WI | 25,155 | $15,324 | 11.6 |
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-west-contra-costa-unified