School district · Ventura County

Ventura Unified schools

In Ventura Unified, 4 of 4 public high schools sit at or above the 50th percentile among California high schools we score; 7 of 18 public elementary schools do (spring 2026 tests; high schools, spring 2025).

Elementary · 18 schools

from 8th to 87th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Loma Vista Elementary: 87th percentile, Strong
  • Mound Elementary: 87th percentile, Strong
  • Pierpont Elementary: 86th percentile, Strong
  • Poinsettia Elementary: 79th percentile, Strong
  • Portola Elementary: 72nd percentile, Solid
  • Academy of Technology & Leadership at Saticoy: 69th percentile, Solid
  • Montalvo Elementary: 50th percentile, Solid
  • Lemon Grove: 46th percentile, Developing
  • Junipero Serra Elementary: 45th percentile, Developing
  • Citrus Glen Elementary: 44th percentile, Developing
  • Juanamaria Elementary: 40th percentile, Developing
  • Lincoln Elementary: 39th percentile, Developing
  • Will Rogers Elementary: 32nd percentile, Developing
  • Elmhurst Elementary: 32nd percentile, Developing
  • Sunset Elementary: 26th percentile, Developing
  • Homestead (Alternative): 21st percentile, Needs Support
  • E. P. Foster Elementary: 13th percentile, Needs Support
  • Sheridan Way Elementary: 8th percentile, Needs Support
3Needs Support
8Developing
3Solid
4Strong

Middle · 6 schools

from 33rd to 77th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Cabrillo Middle: 77th percentile, Strong
  • Anacapa Middle: 57th percentile, Solid
  • Lemon Grove: 54th percentile, Solid
  • Sunset Elementary: 52nd percentile, Solid
  • De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts: 43rd percentile, Developing
  • Balboa Middle: 33rd percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
2Developing
3Solid
1Strong

High · 4 schools

from 51st to 92nd · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • Foothill Technology High: 92nd percentile, Strong
  • El Camino High: 86th percentile, Strong
  • Ventura High: 64th percentile, Solid
  • Buena High: 51st percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
2Solid
2Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 2 of the 26 ranked schools teach two levels, so they appear in more than one picture.

  • 26 ranked schools
  • 1 school not ranked statewide

Schools around Ventura Unified

27 listed public schools with mapped locations.

Open full map →

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Ventura Unified score highest?

Loma Vista Elementary and Mound Elementary are highest, both at the 87th percentile.

That’s higher than 87 in 100 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Ventura Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 15 elementary schools
Context

The average elementary school in Ventura Unified had 14 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Ventura Unified score highest?

Cabrillo Middle is highest, at the 77th percentile.

That’s higher than 77 in 100 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Ventura Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 3 middle schools
Context

The average middle school in Ventura Unified had 16 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Ventura Unified score highest?

Foothill Technology High is highest, at the 92nd percentile.

That’s higher than 92 in 100 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Ventura Unified

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 1 high school
Context

The average high school in Ventura Unified had 14 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100.

1 high school not ranked statewide
  • Pacific HighContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools

The district

Where does Ventura Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?

Ventura Unified spent $19,316 per student in the 2024–25 school year.

That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 55 cents of every Ventura Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.

Spending by function

Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.

Share by function, 2024–25

  • Instruction55%
  • Instruction support12%
  • Student services12%
  • Administration9%
  • Buildings & maintenance11%
  • Other1%

Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.

What the district plans

$34.1 million

planned in its 2026–27 plan for 26 funded actions in 5 goals. That’s 13% of its $264.8 million general fund budget. These are planned amounts; the district reports what it spent in a later plan.

The plan in short

Source: the district’s yearly spending plan (Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, 117 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.

Where the money goes

Three actions take 51% of the money. The plan itself puts 82% of it toward staff.

  • Site-Based Allocations $8.2 million
  • Site-Based Instructional Supports $4.9 million
  • Access to Counseling $4.4 million
  • 23 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help

5 of the plan’s 26 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.

Actions whose titles name reading, catch-up help or English learners
  • Reading $0.6 million
  • Catch-up help $0.1 million
  • English learners $1.4 million

Largest of these

  • Staffing Supports for EL, Dually-Identified Students (SWD & EL) and LTELs$1.4 million
  • Reading Specialist(s)$282,536
  • Professional Development on Literacy$214,040
For high-need students (English learners, low-income students and foster youth), what changed and what its goals measure
For high-need students

It plans $23.1 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $22.7 million and estimates it spent $22.7 million, the same as planned.

What changed

The total is $3.8 million (10%) lower than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Campus Safety and Security Supports, which went from $4.4 million to $3.4 million.

Largest cuts

  • Campus Safety and Security Supports−⁠$988,735
  • School Community, Student Engagement Mental Health Supports and Interventions−⁠$945,132
  • Access to Counseling−⁠$862,676

Largest increases

  • Site-Based Instructional Supports+⁠$542,049
  • Professional Development and Supports for Co-Teaching and Inclusion+⁠$488,287
  • Foster/​Homeless Liaison+⁠$176,708
What its goals measure

Read these state results for the district’s own schools as context for the goals they measure; results alone can’t show what the plan caused.

What its goals measure: state results, 2024–25 and 2025–26
Measure2024–252025–26Change
English, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 149%48%down 1 pt
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 137%36%down 1 pt
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 217 in 10015 in 1002 fewer in 100
Suspended at least onceGoal 22.1%2.1%no change

Goal 5 tracks named schools and Goals 3 and 4 track other measures, so they aren’t shown here.

Figures from CDE’s state test, chronic absence and suspension files. Test figures cover every grade the district tests (California tests grades 3–8 and 11), so they differ from a profile’s rated grades. We combined the district’s schools ourselves, weighted by students and leaving out charter schools. Chronically absent means a student missed 10% or more of school days.

The plan’s own titles and amounts
  • Site-Based Allocations · $8,240,364
  • Site-Based Instructional Supports · $4,898,125
  • Access to Counseling · $4,393,930
The full plan5 goals, 48 measures and where the money goes

We calculate each action’s share of the plan by dividing its planned amount by the total of the plan’s funded actions ($34.1 million).

Where does the money go?

61% to Goal 1. Each box is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a box to open its goal.

G1
G2

Change since the 2025–26 plan, same title

  • fell 25% or more
  • fell 10–25%
  • fell 2–10%
  • within 2%
  • grew 2–10%
  • grew 10–25%
  • grew 25% or more
  • new or renamed title
  • not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals

Every goal, in the plan’s order

Goal 1Improve Student Academic Achievement Overall While Decreasing Student Group Performance Gaps$20.8 million61% of action budgets

9 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $20.9 million (−⁠$146,474) · p. 13 ↗

Largest funded actions

  1. Site-Based Allocations$8.2 millionaction 1.3 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.2 million is state funding counted toward those services
  2. Site-Based Instructional Supports$4.9 millionaction 1.1 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  3. Staffing Supports for EL, Dually-Identified Students (SWD & EL) and LTELs$1.4 millionaction 1.6 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.2 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. District-Based Instructional Supports$1.4 millionaction 1.2 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  5. Professional Development and Supports for Co-Teaching and Inclusion$1.4 millionaction 1.5 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

4 more funded actions in this goal

  • Digital Instructional Tools That Support Access and Increased Academic Achievement · action 1.8 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$1.3 million
  • Professional Learning · action 1.4 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$1.0 million
  • College/​Career Readiness Supports · action 1.7 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.8 million
  • Teacher Collaboration Supports For Common UDL-Based Lesson Planning · action 1.9 · p. 72 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Staffing Supports for EL, Dually-Identified Students (SWD & EL) and LTELs−⁠$0.7 million$2.2 million → $1.4 million · p. 72 ↗
  2. Site-Based Instructional Supports+⁠$0.5 million$4.4 million → $4.9 million · p. 72 ↗
  3. Professional Development and Supports for Co-Teaching and Inclusion+⁠$0.5 million$0.9 million → $1.4 million · p. 72 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Site-Based Allocations · $8.4 million → $8.2 million · p. 72 ↗−⁠$0.2 million
  • District-Based Instructional Supports · $1.6 million → $1.4 million · p. 72 ↗−⁠$0.2 million
  • Digital Instructional Tools That Support Access and Increased Academic Achievement · $1.7 million → $1.3 million · p. 72 ↗−⁠$0.4 million
  • Professional Learning · $1.0 million → $1.0 million · p. 72 ↗+⁠$21,578
  • College/​Career Readiness Supports · $652,380 → $815,777 · p. 72 ↗+⁠$163,397
  • Teacher Collaboration Supports For Common UDL-Based Lesson Planning · $217,460 → $328,080 · p. 72 ↗+⁠$110,620

How the plan measures it · 24 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 13 ↗.

Goal 2Support Positive Student Learning Environments and Student Mental Health$11.8 million35% of action budgets

7 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $14.4 million (−⁠$2.6 million) · p. 31 ↗

Largest funded actions

  1. Access to Counseling$4.4 millionaction 2.1 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $2.1 million is state funding counted toward those services
  2. Campus Safety and Security Supports$3.4 millionaction 2.7 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  3. Student Assistance Counselors (SAP) and Coordinated Supports - UP across the district tend to have lower educational outcomes than non-UP students, and educational outcomes are related to students' mental well-being, and in some cases require family-based counseling$2.5 millionaction 2.2 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.9 million is state funding counted toward those services
  4. Transportation$0.8 millionaction 2.6 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  5. Foster/​Homeless Liaison$0.4 millionaction 2.3 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $331,135 is state funding counted toward those services

2 more funded actions in this goal

  • Student Discipline Supports; Prevention and Intervention · action 2.5 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
  • School Community, Student Engagement Mental Health Supports and Interventions · action 2.4 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Campus Safety and Security Supports−⁠$1.0 million$4.4 million → $3.4 million · p. 73 ↗
  2. School Community, Student Engagement Mental Health Supports and Interventions−⁠$0.9 million$1.1 million → $0.1 million · p. 73 ↗
  3. Access to Counseling−⁠$0.9 million$5.3 million → $4.4 million · p. 73 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • Student Assistance Counselors (SAP) and Coordinated Supports - UP across the district tend to have lower educational outcomes than non-UP students, and educational outcomes are related to students' mental well-being, and in some cases require family-based counseling · $2.6 million → $2.5 million · p. 73 ↗−⁠$47,232
  • Transportation · $706,745 → $765,520 · p. 73 ↗+⁠$58,775
  • Foster/​Homeless Liaison · $207,221 → $383,929 · p. 73 ↗+⁠$176,708
  • Student Discipline Supports; Prevention and Intervention · $217,460 → $218,720 · p. 73 ↗+⁠$1,260

How the plan measures it · 9 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 31 ↗.

Goal 3Engage Families as Partners in Education$521,5082% of action budgets

5 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $550,565 (−⁠$29,057) · p. 46 ↗

Largest funded actions

  1. Community Communication and Engagement$248,987action 3.1 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $144,685 is state funding counted toward those services
  2. District Family Liaison Supporting Spanish-Speaking Families$128,161action 3.5 · p. 74 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  3. Family Education$87,020action 3.2 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  4. Child Care for Parent Participation$30,000action 3.3 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  5. African American Community Engagement$27,340action 3.4 · p. 73 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Family Education−⁠$48,893$135,913 → $87,020 · p. 73 ↗
  2. Child Care for Parent Participation−⁠$35,238$65,238 → $30,000 · p. 73 ↗
  3. Community Communication and Engagement+⁠$23,111$225,876 → $248,987 · p. 73 ↗

Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan

  • District Family Liaison Supporting Spanish-Speaking Families · $112,665 → $128,161 · p. 74 ↗+⁠$15,496
  • African American Community Engagement · $10,873 → $27,340 · p. 73 ↗+⁠$16,467

How the plan measures it · 10 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 46 ↗.

Goal 4Improve Early Elementary Literacy Attainment$562,1922% of action budgets

3 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $1.6 million (−⁠$1.1 million) · p. 52 ↗

Largest funded actions

  1. Reading Specialist(s)$282,536action 4.3 · p. 74 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $170,557 is state funding counted toward those services
  2. Professional Development on Literacy$214,040action 4.2 · p. 74 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $164,040 is state funding counted toward those services
  3. Funds for Substitutes for Common Elementary Teacher Literacy Planning$65,616action 4.1 · p. 74 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Funds for Substitutes for Common Elementary Teacher Literacy Planning−⁠$586,764$652,380 → $65,616 · p. 74 ↗
  2. Professional Development on Literacy−⁠$329,610$543,650 → $214,040 · p. 74 ↗
  3. Reading Specialist(s)−⁠$152,384$434,920 → $282,536 · p. 74 ↗

How the plan measures it · 3 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 52 ↗.

Goal 5 · Equity Multiplier Focus GoalIncrease Graduation Rate for all VUSD students by 5 percentage points (4 Year Cohort) in three years and PHS…$406,2571% of action budgets

“Increase Graduation Rate for all VUSD students by 5 percentage points (4 Year Cohort) in three years and PHS students by 15 percentage points” p. 55 ↗

2 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $310,180 (+⁠$96,077)

Largest funded actions

  1. Learning Director$238,910action 5.1 · p. 74 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
  2. Additional Counseling Staff$167,347action 5.2 · p. 75 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services

Changes from last year’s plan, same title

  1. Additional Counseling Staff+⁠$59,927$107,420 → $167,347 · p. 75 ↗
  2. Learning Director+⁠$51,150$187,760 → $238,910 · p. 74 ↗

How the plan measures it · 2 measures

None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 55 ↗.

All amounts are planned. We read them from the PDF and added up each goal’s actions ourselves. Page links open the plan at that page.

Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends

Student mix

2024–25 · October enrollment count, 14,379 students
1. Hispanic or Latino: 55%2. White: 35%3. Two or more races: 4%4. Asian: 3%5. Black or African American: 1%6. Filipino: <1%7. American Indian or Alaska Native: <1%8. Pacific Islander: <1%Student mix2024–25
  1. Hispanic or Latino55%
  2. White35%
  3. Two or more races4%
  4. Asian3%
  5. Black or African American1%
  6. Filipino<1%
  7. American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
  8. Pacific Islander<1%
  9. Not reported0%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools. Rounded labels may not total 100%; segments use the original shares.

Free or reduced-price meals

59%

Across California, 63% of students qualify.

2024–25 · 8,406 of 14,346 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.

The district’s state records

Is the state giving the district extra help?

Ventura Unified isn’t getting extra state help in 2026, only the standard support every district gets.

How English learners moved up on the state’s English test

From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 51% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (681 of 1,327 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.

2 schools getting state support, 2025–26

E. P. Foster Elementary (Targeted support) · Sheridan Way Elementary (Targeted support)

This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.

Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗ · School support (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.

Which places nearby can you look at next?

Cities in the district

More places (4)

Districts nearby

Common questions

Which public schools in Ventura Unified rank highest?

Elementary: 2 schools at the 87th percentile (Strong): Loma Vista Elementary and Mound Elementary. Middle: Cabrillo Middle, 77th percentile (Strong). High: Foothill Technology High, 92nd percentile (Strong). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in the Ventura Unified district decide which school my child attends?

Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (5)

Are the public schools in Ventura Unified good?

Ventura Unified’s 18 public elementary schools run from the 8th to the 87th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 4 Strong, 3 Solid, 8 Developing and 3 Needs Support. Ventura Unified’s 6 public middle schools run from the 33rd to the 77th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong, 3 Solid and 2 Developing. Ventura Unified’s 4 public high schools run from the 51st to the 92nd percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 2 Strong and 2 Solid. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Ventura Unified compare with California?

The average elementary school in Ventura Unified had 14 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average middle school in Ventura Unified had 16 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average high school in Ventura Unified had 14 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

How much does Ventura Unified spend per student?

Ventura Unified spent $19,316 per student in the 2024–25 school year. That’s close to the typical California district, which spent $20,491. About 55 cents of every Ventura Unified dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.

What is in Ventura Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?

The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $34.1 million into 26 funded actions in 5 goals, 13% of its $264.8 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $20.8 million, 61% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools governed and funded by Ventura Unified, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.