California has 937 public school districts as of the 2024–25 school year, according to the California Department of Education.1California Department of Education. List of School Districts Together those districts serve roughly 5.8 million students, making California’s the largest state public school system in the country by enrollment.2California Department of Finance. Public K-12 Graded Enrollment The count shifts slightly from year to year as districts reorganize, but it has stayed in this range for some time.
The Three Types of Districts
California sorts its 937 districts by the grades they cover:
- 526 elementary districts, which serve kindergarten through eighth grade. That figure includes 516 standard elementary districts plus 10 high school districts that also run a junior high program.
- 66 high school districts, covering grades nine through twelve.
- 345 unified districts, which handle the full K–12 span under a single governing board.1California Department of Education. List of School Districts
Elementary districts make up more than half of the total. The reason is historical. Many communities built elementary schools long before they had enough students to justify a local high school, and a separate high school district was later formed to serve students from several nearby elementary districts. Unified districts emerged in places that chose to bring everything under one roof.
How Big and How Small
The 937 figure hides an enormous range. Los Angeles Unified enrolled 516,685 students in 2024–25, more than the entire public school enrollment of several U.S. states. San Diego Unified came next at 113,781, followed by Fresno Unified at 71,151, Elk Grove Unified at 64,358, and Long Beach Unified at 62,947.3California Department of Education. Largest and Smallest Public School Districts
At the other end, dozens of rural districts serve fewer students than a single classroom. Green Point Elementary and Ravendale-Termo Elementary each enrolled just three students in 2024–25. Jefferson Elementary had four. Klamath River Union Elementary had five. Most of these micro-districts sit in the remote northern and eastern parts of the state, where small populations and long distances make consolidation impractical.3California Department of Education. Largest and Smallest Public School Districts
Overall enrollment has been drifting downward. California’s public school enrollment fell for the eighth straight year in 2024–25, dropping by about 31,500 students to roughly 5,806,200.2California Department of Finance. Public K-12 Graded Enrollment Lower birth rates, families leaving the state, and growth in charter and private schools are all part of the picture.
Why the Number Changes
The 937 figure is not permanently fixed. The California Education Code lays out a formal process for reorganizing districts, which can mean merging two districts, splitting one, or transferring territory from one to another.4Justia Law. California Code EDC – Reorganization of School Districts Any reorganization proposal moves through a county committee on school district organization and ultimately needs voter approval.
State regulations also set minimum enrollment thresholds for newly formed districts: at least 901 students for an elementary district, 301 for a high school district, and 1,501 for a unified district.5Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 5 18573 – Criteria for Reorganization of School Districts Those floors exist to prevent the creation of districts too small to function independently.
In practice, consolidation is rare. Merging districts means combining community identities, labor contracts, salary schedules, and school cultures, and voters in the affected areas have to approve the change. Local resistance is common. The slow decline in California’s total district count over the decades reflects how difficult the process is, even when the financial logic seems obvious.
County Offices of Education Sit Above the 937
Sitting above the 937 districts are 58 County Offices of Education, one for each county.6California County Superintendents. California County Superintendents These are not additional school districts. Each County Office is led by an elected county superintendent and provides fiscal oversight, budget review, and support to the districts within its county. Some also directly educate students who don’t fit into traditional districts, such as those in juvenile detention or certain special education programs. When you see a “County Office of Education” listed alongside districts in enrollment data, those direct-instruction programs are the reason.
Looking Up a Specific District
The California School Directory on the CDE website lets you search for any public school, private school, school district, or county office of education by name, county, or type. Each district listing includes contact information, the superintendent’s name, and links to enrollment and demographic data.7California Department of Education. California School Directory For year-by-year historical counts broken out by district type, the CDE’s School District Organization page publishes data going back decades.1California Department of Education. List of School Districts