California school district spending and test scores

June 2, 2011

Despite years of efforts to equalize spending in California schools, some districts receive thousands of dollars more per student than others. And although some districts spent much more than the average, the bigger expenditure didn't assure higher scores on the state's Academic Performance Index, which is based on student test scores and other academic measures. Download a spreadsheet of spending per student and Academic Performance Index data for all school districts here.

10 highest-spending districts

Districts with 500 or more students average daily attendance

District	$ spent per student	Location
Taft Union High	$21,932	Kern County
Shoreline Unified	$17,791	Marin County
Saint Helena Unified	$17,671	Napa County
Carmel Unified	$17,451	Monterey County
Portola Valley Elementary	$16,981	San Mateo County
Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified	$15,244	Humboldt County
Tamalpais Union High	$15,100	Marin County
Rancho Santa Fe Elementary	$14,287	San Diego County
San Pasqual Valley Unified	$14,028	Imperial County
Coast Unified	$13,775	San Luis Obispo County

Districts with 500 or more students average daily attendance