Los Angeles Unified School District Statistics 2026: Enrollment, Schools & Charts
Los Angeles Unified enrolled 497,105 students in the California Department of Education's 2025–26 Census Day series, making it the largest public school district in California by that measure.
LAUSD's own July 2026 projection reports 378,468 students at TK–12 schools and a broader 522,080 projected enrollment after early education, adult education, and independent charter schools are added. Those totals measure different populations and should not be treated as interchangeable.
LAUSD Enrollment and School Statistics
Final Census Day counts, federal district records, and LAUSD projections use separate reporting definitions.
LAUSD Census-Day Enrollment Since 2021–22
The comparable California Census Day series declined in each of the five school years shown.
Los Angeles Unified Enrollment Trend
Census Day enrollment, including the charter-inclusive district series displayed by Ed-Data
Enrollment fell from 548,338 in 2021–22 to 497,105 in 2025–26. The latest value is a final Census Day count rather than a projection.
Enrollment movement since 2021
- The five-year series declined by 51,233 students, equal to about 9.3%.
- The largest year-to-year decrease in the displayed series occurred in 2025–26, when enrollment fell by 19,580 students.
LAUSD Enrollment by School Year
The table preserves the full five-year Census Day series used in the main enrollment chart.
| School year | Enrollment | Annual change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 548,338 | N/A (baseline) | N/A |
| 2022–23 | 538,295 | −10,043 | −1.8% |
| 2023–24 | 529,902 | −8,393 | −1.6% |
| 2024–25 | 516,685 | −13,217 | −2.5% |
| 2025–26 | 497,105 | −19,580 | −3.8% |
2026–27 LAUSD Enrollment Projection
LAUSD's July 2026 estimate separates graded enrollment, special education enrollment, early education, adult education, and independent charter schools.
Projected Graded Enrollment by Grade Band
LAUSD 2026–27 estimated enrollment projection
Grades 9–12 form the largest projected graded band at 105,864 students, followed closely by K–3 at 102,196.
Projection composition
- Projected graded enrollment totals 356,719 students before special-day and pre-K special education enrollment is added.
- Graded and other enrollment at TK–12 schools totals 378,468.
- The 522,080 grand total adds 143,612 students reported at other sites, including independent charter schools and adult and early education programs.
| Enrollment category | Projected students | Reporting group |
|---|---|---|
| Transitional Kindergarten | 14,700 | Graded enrollment |
| K–3 | 102,196 | Graded enrollment |
| Grades 4–6 | 83,108 | Graded enrollment |
| Grades 7–8 | 50,851 | Graded enrollment |
| Grades 9–12 | 105,864 | Graded enrollment |
| Total Graded Enrollment | 356,719 | TK–12 schools |
| Special Day Classes in Regular Schools | 17,472 | Other enrollment |
| Special Day Classes in Special Education Schools | 1,699 | Other enrollment |
| Pre-K Special Education | 2,578 | Other enrollment |
| Total Other Enrollment | 21,749 | TK–12 schools |
| Total Graded & Other Enrollment at TK–12 Schools | 378,468 | TK–12 schools |
| Early Education Centers, State Preschool & Infant Centers | 10,335 | Other sites |
| Adult Education | 27,692 | Other sites |
| Independent Charter Schools | 105,585 | Other sites |
| Total Enrollment at Other Sites | 143,612 | Other sites |
| Grand Total | 522,080 | LAUSD broad total |
How Many Schools Does LAUSD Have?
LAUSD and NCES publish different totals because the two systems count different sets of schools, centers, and reporting entities.
LAUSD Schools and Centers by Category
LAUSD Fingertip Facts, July 2026
LAUSD reports 1,520 schools and centers across its own categories. The total includes entities that do not map directly to the NCES regular-district school count.
Why the school total changes by source
- LAUSD's July 2026 inventory totals 1,520 schools and centers, including early education centers, magnet centers, independent charter schools, adult education centers, and other sites.
- NCES lists 784 schools under the Los Angeles Unified regular local school district in its 2025–26 directory.
- The two totals answer different questions, so 1,520 should not be substituted for 784 in a federal CCD comparison.
| LAUSD category | Count |
|---|---|
| Primary School Centers | 18 |
| Early Education Centers | 89 |
| Elementary Schools | 437 |
| Middle Schools | 77 |
| Senior High Schools | 87 |
| Options Schools | 59 |
| Magnet Centers | 268 |
| Magnet Schools | 66 |
| Multi-level Schools | 26 |
| Special Education Schools | 12 |
| Infant Centers | 4 |
| Adult Education Centers | 11 |
| Home/Hospital | 2 |
| Independent Charter Schools | 198 |
| Other Schools and Centers | 166 |
| Grand Total | 1,520 |
LAUSD Compared With California's Largest Districts
California Department of Education 2025–26 Census Day enrollment provides a common statewide basis for the comparison.
10 Largest California Public School Districts
2025–26 enrollment
LAUSD remains well above every other California district in the 2025–26 CDE enrollment ranking.
LAUSD's scale within California
- LAUSD's 497,105 students are about 4.4 times San Diego Unified's 112,250.
- LAUSD alone accounts for about 8.7% of California's 5,731,260 public-school students in the 2025–26 Census Day total.
| Rank | District | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Unified | 497,105 |
| 2 | San Diego Unified | 112,250 |
| 3 | Fresno Unified | 70,163 |
| 4 | Elk Grove Unified | 65,483 |
| 5 | Long Beach Unified | 61,679 |
| 6 | San Francisco Unified | 55,237 |
| 7 | San Juan Unified | 52,069 |
| 8 | Corona-Norco Unified | 48,485 |
| 9 | San Bernardino City Unified | 48,079 |
| 10 | Capistrano Unified | 46,429 |
Why LAUSD Enrollment and School Counts Differ
The same district can carry several valid totals when reporting period, entity definition, or program coverage changes.
| Metric | Source | Period | Value | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | California Department of Education | 2025–26 | 497,105 | Census Day district enrollment |
| Enrollment | NCES CCD | 2024–25 | 408,026 | Federal regular local school district membership |
| Projected enrollment | LAUSD | 2026–27 | 378,468 | Graded and other enrollment at TK–12 schools |
| Projected grand total | LAUSD | 2026–27 | 522,080 | TK–12 schools plus early education, adult education, and independent charter schools |
| Schools | NCES CCD | 2025–26 directory | 784 | Schools in the federal regular local district record |
| Schools and centers | LAUSD | July 2026 | 1,520 | LAUSD inventory including centers, independent charters, and other entities |
| Classroom teachers | NCES CCD | 2024–25 | 21,246.18 FTE | Federal district staffing record |
| Student/teacher ratio | NCES CCD | 2024–25 | 19.20 | NCES district student-to-classroom-teacher ratio |
Reporting coverage
- The CDE, NCES, and LAUSD totals are valid only within their stated reporting definitions.
- The largest apparent difference comes from the LAUSD 522,080 projection, which combines populations not contained in the narrower 378,468 TK–12 school projection.
- NCES staffing and membership values use 2024–25 data even though its district directory already carries 2025–26 school information.
What the Enrollment Numbers Show
Derived comparisons use matching Census Day measures where possible and keep LAUSD projections separate from final enrollment counts.
LAUSD share of California enrollment
497,105 LAUSD students represent about 8.7% of California's 5,731,260 public-school students in the 2025–26 Census Day series.
Recent decline versus California
LAUSD's Census Day enrollment declined about 3.8% from 2024–25 to 2025–26. California enrollment declined about 1.3% over the same period.
Five-year district movement
The displayed LAUSD Census Day series moved from 548,338 to 497,105, a net decrease of 51,233 students.
Data Sources and Measurement
Provides 2025–26 Los Angeles Unified enrollment of 497,105 and district-level Census Day reporting context.
Defines Census Day enrollment and reports California's 2025–26 statewide public-school enrollment of 5,731,260.
Provides the 2025–26 California district enrollment ranking used for the statewide comparison.
Provides the federal Los Angeles Unified district record, including 784 schools in the 2025–26 directory and 2024–25 membership and staffing measures.
Provides July 2026 estimated enrollment projections and LAUSD's schools-and-centers inventory.
Displays the multi-year California Census Day enrollment series used for the trend. Ed-Data is operated through the Education Data Partnership, which includes the California Department of Education.
Measurement basis: California Census Day enrollment is a fall snapshot of TK–12 enrollment. NCES CCD membership, LAUSD operational projections, and LAUSD schools-and-centers inventories use separate coverage rules. Percentage changes are calculated from the unrounded counts shown in the tables. Derived percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
The 2026–27 LAUSD projection is not appended to the 2021–22 through 2025–26 Census Day trend. As of the start of the 2026–27 school year, a finalized CDE 2026–27 Census Day enrollment count is not yet available, and LAUSD's projected totals use broader program categories than the CDE trend series.