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B

Pasadena Unified School District

Public school districtGrades K–12Regional · 2 towns

Serves Pasadena and Sierra Madre.

Pasadena’s School Grade B better than 58% of California school districts

Students
13,639
Schools
23
Spent per student
$24,911
CA $21,206
Students per teacher
21:1
Free or reduced lunch
61%
Debt
$363.2M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Pasadena Unified School District

  • Its letter, B: results better than 58% of California districts
  • Spends 17% more per student than the CA average
  • 21 students per teacher
  • Enrollment down 10.1% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $363.2M, about $26,631 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B: better than 58% of the 1,872 California school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math close to the state, 2021–22
B
GraduationFour-year graduation close to the state, class of 2023
C
The towns it serves, and their School Grades

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Pasadena. Grade by grade →

K–510 elementary schoolsThis district
6–124 schoolsThis district

Test scores vs. CA

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency33%
State average 33.1% · 7,333 students tested
Reading / language arts45%
State average 46.7% · 7,363 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)85%
State average 86.2% · 1,208 in the class

95% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$24,911 per student · 17% above CA
Spending
Classroom instruction 53%Support & administration 44%Other 3%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 48%State 39%Federal 13%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
15,165’20
14,408’21
13,999’22
13,854’23
13,639’24

Down 10.1% since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 58%White 17%Black 10%Asian 8%Two or more races 7%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

23 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools.

Mary W. Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Altadena
658 students25:1
Sierra Madre Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sierra Madre
652 students24:1
Longfellow (Henry W.) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
546 students24:1
McKinley
Elementary · Grades K–8 · Pasadena
538 students18:1
Altadena Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Altadena
527 students23:1
Hamilton Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
510 students25:1
Field (Eugene) Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
449 students26:1
Washington Elementary STEM Magnet
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
428 students22:1
San Rafael Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
412 students26:1
Madison Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
411 students25:1
Willard Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
394 students22:1
Don Benito Fundamental
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
384 students23:1
Norma Coombs Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
370 students22:1
Webster Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Pasadena
277 students20:1
CIS Academy
Other · Grades K–12 · Pasadena
B+
234 students18:1
Marshall Fundamental
High · Grades 6–12 · Pasadena
A−
1,689 students21:1
Blair High
High · Grades 6–12 · Pasadena
B+
1,053 students18:1
Sierra Madre Middle
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Sierra Madre
597 students24:1
Octavia E. Butler Magnet
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Pasadena
481 students18:1
Charles W. Eliot Middle
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Altadena
407 students17:1
Pasadena High
High · Grades 9–12 · Pasadena
A−
1,303 students18:1
John Muir High
High · Grades 9–12 · Pasadena
B+
1,206 students22:1
Rose City High (Continuation)
High · Grades 9–12 · Pasadena
D
113 students10:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within California.