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U.S. Education Data

Largest School Districts in California 2026: Enrollment Rankings & Charts

California has 936 elementary, high school, and unified districts in the 2025–26 district-office dataset. Enrollment is highly uneven: Los Angeles Unified serves almost half a million students, while most districts enroll fewer than 5,000.

The ranking uses certified Fall Census Day enrollment from the California Department of Education. The full table covers the 100 largest school districts and distinguishes unified, elementary, and high school systems so grade-span differences remain visible.

Data type: District enrollmentCoverage: 100 largest of 936 school districtsLatest source year: 2025–26Unit: StudentsRanking basis: Fall Census Day enrollment

California District Enrollment Statistics

District counts exclude county offices of education, State Board of Education entities, and state special schools.

5,731,260
California public enrollment
All district-office reporting entities
936
School districts
Elementary, high school, and unified
497,105
Largest district
Los Angeles Unified
54.7%
Top 100 share
Share of statewide public enrollment
14,505
Rank 100 cutoff
Alhambra Unified
7
Districts above 50,000
Two exceed 100,000 students

20 Largest California School Districts

Ranked by 2025–26 Fall Census Day enrollment.

The chart summarizes the first 20 positions. Together, these districts enroll 1,451,280 students, or 25.3% of California public enrollment.

Scale differences within the leading group
  • Los Angeles Unified enrolls 497,105 students, 4.43 times the enrollment of San Diego Unified.
  • The first five districts account for 14.1% of statewide public enrollment.
  • The gap between ranks 1 and 20 is 462,243 students.

Top 100 California School District Enrollment Ranking

The ranking includes only elementary, high school, and unified districts. State share uses California’s full 2025–26 public enrollment total.

100 largest California school districts by 2025–26 Fall Census Day enrollment
Rank District County Type Enrollment State share Charter share
1Los Angeles UnifiedLos AngelesUnified497,1058.67%29.0%
2San Diego UnifiedSan DiegoUnified112,2501.96%16.4%
3Fresno UnifiedFresnoUnified70,1631.22%4.8%
4Elk Grove UnifiedSacramentoUnified65,4831.14%1.9%
5Long Beach UnifiedLos AngelesUnified61,6791.08%0.5%
6San Francisco UnifiedSan FranciscoUnified55,2370.96%12.2%
7San Juan UnifiedSacramentoUnified52,0690.91%24.2%
8Corona-Norco UnifiedRiversideUnified48,4850.85%0.0%
9San Bernardino City UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified48,0790.84%9.8%
10Capistrano UnifiedOrangeUnified46,4290.81%14.3%
11Clovis UnifiedFresnoUnified44,0910.77%1.9%
12Oakland UnifiedAlamedaUnified43,4840.76%22.1%
13Kern HighKernHigh school43,3560.76%1.1%
14Sacramento City UnifiedSacramentoUnified41,8680.73%13.7%
15Irvine UnifiedOrangeUnified38,4070.67%1.7%
16Riverside UnifiedRiversideUnified38,1100.66%2.0%
17Stockton UnifiedSan JoaquinUnified38,0430.66%19.4%
18Santa Ana UnifiedOrangeUnified36,1340.63%7.6%
19Garden Grove UnifiedOrangeUnified35,9460.63%0.0%
20Sweetwater Union HighSan DiegoHigh school34,8620.61%4.2%
21Poway UnifiedSan DiegoUnified34,0870.59%0.0%
22Fremont UnifiedAlamedaUnified32,8830.57%1.2%
23Fontana UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified31,9580.56%1.1%
24Twin Rivers UnifiedSacramentoUnified31,5020.55%27.7%
25Moreno Valley UnifiedRiversideUnified30,4130.53%0.0%
26Mt. Diablo UnifiedContra CostaUnified30,3300.53%3.2%
27Lodi UnifiedSan JoaquinUnified30,0400.52%11.3%
28West Contra Costa UnifiedContra CostaUnified28,6160.50%13.5%
29Visalia UnifiedTulareUnified28,4480.50%3.4%
30Chula Vista ElementarySan DiegoElementary28,3460.49%23.3%
31Temecula Valley UnifiedRiversideUnified28,0310.49%6.3%
32San Ramon Valley UnifiedContra CostaUnified27,9860.49%0.0%
33Bakersfield CityKernElementary27,4100.48%0.0%
34Chino Valley UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified26,5620.46%3.6%
35Manteca UnifiedSan JoaquinUnified25,5610.45%0.0%
36Glendale UnifiedLos AngelesUnified25,2810.44%0.0%
37Desert Sands UnifiedRiversideUnified25,2480.44%7.9%
38Anaheim Union HighOrangeHigh school25,1770.44%0.0%
39Orange UnifiedOrangeUnified24,6220.43%9.1%
40Hesperia UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified24,5920.43%6.2%
41San Jose UnifiedSanta ClaraUnified24,3110.42%0.9%
42Hemet UnifiedRiversideUnified22,7910.40%3.4%
43Downey UnifiedLos AngelesUnified22,6610.40%0.0%
44Rialto UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified22,6210.39%0.0%
45East Side Union HighSanta ClaraHigh school22,5600.39%13.6%
46Folsom-Cordova UnifiedSacramentoUnified22,5090.39%1.5%
47Placentia-Yorba Linda UnifiedOrangeUnified22,2950.39%2.6%
48Saddleback Valley UnifiedOrangeUnified22,1800.39%0.0%
49Chaffey Joint Union HighSan BernardinoHigh school22,0720.39%0.0%
50Torrance UnifiedLos AngelesUnified22,0140.38%0.0%
51Grossmont Union HighSan DiegoHigh school22,0020.38%25.6%
52Murrieta Valley UnifiedRiversideUnified21,6030.38%0.0%
53Antelope Valley Union HighLos AngelesHigh school21,5780.38%6.1%
54Tustin UnifiedOrangeUnified21,0210.37%0.0%
55William S. Hart Union HighLos AngelesHigh school20,9950.37%4.1%
56Palmdale ElementaryLos AngelesElementary20,8750.36%20.5%
57Lake Elsinore UnifiedRiversideUnified20,8210.36%2.5%
58Madera UnifiedMaderaUnified20,7590.36%5.3%
59Beaumont UnifiedRiversideUnified20,7250.36%38.8%
60Vista UnifiedSan DiegoUnified20,3660.36%13.3%
61Pomona UnifiedLos AngelesUnified20,0580.35%10.1%
62Fairfield-Suisun UnifiedSolanoUnified20,0100.35%0.0%
63Hayward UnifiedAlamedaUnified19,6310.34%12.8%
64Palm Springs UnifiedRiversideUnified19,6210.34%4.4%
65Panama-Buena Vista UnionKernElementary19,3510.34%0.0%
66Compton UnifiedLos AngelesUnified19,3250.34%15.8%
67Redlands UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified19,2680.34%1.4%
68Val Verde UnifiedRiversideUnified18,7170.33%0.0%
69Cajon Valley UnionSan DiegoElementary18,7090.33%14.1%
70San Marcos UnifiedSan DiegoUnified18,5880.32%0.5%
71Montebello UnifiedLos AngelesUnified18,4450.32%0.0%
72Colton Joint UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified17,8300.31%0.0%
73Jurupa UnifiedRiversideUnified17,4860.31%0.0%
74Newport-Mesa UnifiedOrangeUnified17,4080.30%0.0%
75ABC UnifiedLos AngelesUnified17,3000.30%0.0%
76Santa Maria-BonitaSanta BarbaraElementary17,2860.30%0.0%
77Oceanside UnifiedSan DiegoUnified17,1650.30%15.5%
78Ontario-MontclairSan BernardinoElementary17,1350.30%0.0%
79Maricopa UnifiedKernUnified16,7390.29%98.2%
80Natomas UnifiedSacramentoUnified16,6640.29%34.8%
81Oxnard Union HighVenturaHigh school16,6040.29%5.2%
82Pajaro Valley UnifiedSanta CruzUnified16,4520.29%11.0%
83Napa Valley UnifiedNapaUnified16,3810.29%1.7%
84Escondido UnionSan DiegoElementary16,3760.29%18.0%
85Antioch UnifiedContra CostaUnified16,0810.28%5.7%
86Alvord UnifiedRiversideUnified16,0430.28%0.0%
87Central UnifiedFresnoUnified16,0080.28%0.0%
88Dehesa ElementarySan DiegoElementary15,9040.28%96.4%
89Modesto City HighStanislausHigh school15,8650.28%4.1%
90Coachella Valley UnifiedRiversideUnified15,6180.27%1.3%
91Modesto City ElementaryStanislausElementary15,4570.27%7.6%
92Conejo Valley UnifiedVenturaUnified15,4420.27%0.0%
93Salinas Union HighMontereyHigh school15,3450.27%0.0%
94Hacienda la Puente UnifiedLos AngelesUnified15,1480.26%0.0%
95Simi Valley UnifiedVenturaUnified15,0810.26%0.0%
96Apple Valley UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified15,0670.26%9.9%
97West Covina UnifiedLos AngelesUnified15,0630.26%49.2%
98Tracy Joint UnifiedSan JoaquinUnified14,7420.26%10.4%
99Lucerne Valley UnifiedSan BernardinoUnified14,6250.26%92.1%
100Alhambra UnifiedLos AngelesUnified14,5050.25%0.0%
District type and charter reporting
  • The top 100 contain 79 unified, 11 high school, and 10 elementary districts.
  • The rank-100 threshold is 14,505 students.
  • Charter share is shown because district-level totals can include students enrolled in charter schools assigned to the district reporting entity.

District Size Distribution

Most California districts are small by enrollment, but the largest size bands serve a large share of students.

Number of Districts by Enrollment Band

All 936 elementary, high school, and unified districts.

District count and student concentration move in opposite directions: the smallest bands contain many districts but a limited share of statewide enrollment.

100,000+
2 districts
609,355 students · 10.6%
50,000–99,999
5 districts
304,631 students · 5.3%
25,000–49,999
31 districts
1,055,173 students · 18.4%
10,000–24,999
117 districts
1,844,194 students · 32.2%
5,000–9,999
118 districts
861,406 students · 15.0%
1,000–4,999
309 districts
806,488 students · 14.1%
Under 1,000
354 districts
111,090 students · 1.9%
Enrollment is concentrated above the median district size
  • 354 districts enroll fewer than 1,000 students, but they account for only 1.9% of statewide enrollment.
  • Districts with 10,000 to 24,999 students form the largest enrollment block at 32.2% of the statewide total.

Enrollment Concentration Across the Ranking

Cumulative shares show how much of California public enrollment is carried by a limited number of districts.

14.1%
Largest 5 districts
806,680 students
18.4%
Largest 10 districts
1,056,979 students
28.1%
Largest 25 districts
1,612,123 students
39.2%
Largest 50 districts
2,244,387 students
54.7%
Largest 100 districts
3,133,675 students

Counties with the Most Top-100 Districts

District count and combined enrollment measure different forms of county concentration.

Counties with the highest number of districts in the statewide top 100
County Top-100 districts Combined enrollment State share
Los Angeles15812,03214.17%
Riverside14343,7126.00%
San Diego11338,6555.91%
San Bernardino11259,8094.53%
Orange10289,6195.05%
Sacramento6230,0954.01%
San Joaquin4108,3861.89%
Kern4106,8561.86%
Contra Costa4103,0131.80%
Fresno3130,2622.27%
Alameda395,9981.67%
Ventura347,1270.82%
County count does not equal enrollment weight
  • Los Angeles places the most districts in the top 100, with 15.
  • Los Angeles County has the largest combined top-100 enrollment at 812,032 students.

High Charter Shares Among Large Districts

A high charter share can raise a district reporting total even when students attend schools operated through separate charter organizations.

Five highest charter enrollment shares among the 100 largest California school districts
Rank District County Enrollment Charter students Charter share
79Maricopa UnifiedKern16,73916,43898.2%
88Dehesa ElementarySan Diego15,90415,32496.4%
99Lucerne Valley UnifiedSan Bernardino14,62513,46792.1%
97West Covina UnifiedLos Angeles15,0637,41049.2%
59Beaumont UnifiedRiverside20,7258,04738.8%

How District Structure Shapes the Ranking

Enrollment rank describes the scale of the reporting system, not school quality or student outcomes.

Unified districts dominate the leading positions

Unified systems usually serve kindergarten through grade 12, giving them a wider grade span than elementary-only or high-school-only districts.

City and district boundaries do not match

A district may serve several cities or only part of one city. Metropolitan enrollment cannot be inferred from a single district name.

Charter authorizing affects reported scale

District totals can include charter students assigned to the district record. Charter share adds context to unusually high totals for some smaller geographic systems.

Enrollment is not a performance measure

The ranking does not describe test scores, graduation rates, staffing levels, funding adequacy, class size, or school safety.

Source Years and Definitions

Primary source

California Department of Education, California School District Offices 2025–26. Enrollment and charter counts are based on certified CALPADS Fall 1 Census Day records.

Measurement date

Fall Census Day was the first Wednesday in October 2025. The 2026 title refers to the publication cycle, while the source is the 2025–26 academic year.

District scope

The analysis includes 515 elementary districts, 76 high school districts, and 345 unified districts. County offices, state special schools, and State Board of Education entities are excluded from the district ranking.

Ranking rule

Districts are sorted by Enroll Total from highest to lowest. Ties are ordered alphabetically. Displayed shares are rounded, while sort values retain greater precision.

Charter definition

Charter share equals Enroll Charter divided by Enroll Total for the district record. It is a reporting-composition measure, not a measure of district-operated school enrollment.

Coverage limit

The full source contains 936 school districts. The publication ranking is explicitly limited to the largest 100 districts and does not represent every California district.

CDE Census Day Enrollment Data · California School District Offices 2025–26 · CDE Largest and Smallest Public School Districts