The document provides instructions for using the California School Finance Center database, which compiles public school funding data from the California Department of Education. It allows users to search for individual school districts or charter schools and view data on total revenue, student achievement, staff salaries, and student demographics. The database is a joint project of three organizations aimed at increasing transparency around school funding and improving student outcomes. The summary provides step-by-step guidance on navigating the database and interpreting the various types of comparative data and analyses available.

1. California School
Finance Center
A how-to guide on using
this useful online resource

2. About
The California School Finance Center database compiles publicly available information
from a dozen California Department of Education sources to present the most
complete picture possible of the state’s public school funding.The database, designed
to increase transparency, is a tool for school districts to become more efficient in
improving student academic achievement by making it easy for them to identify top
performers and by providing the public with accurate comparisons of revenue
and achievement.
The database provides:
&& Total and per-pupil revenue for more than 900 public school districts.*
&& Total and per-pupil revenue for more than 280 charter schools.
&& Total and per-pupil revenue for California’s 58 County Offices
of Education.
&& Easy-to-read data for student achievement, demographic census,
and staff salaries.
&& A Return on Investment (ROI) feature that quantifies the relationship
between revenue and student achievement.**
&& Peer comparison charts to determine what is working in districts and
charter schools similar in size, per-pupil revenue amount, and student
population.
* Per-pupil revenue is derived by dividing total revenue by the
districts average daily attendance (ADA)
** Feature created by Education Results Partnership (ERP)
The California School Finance Center database is a joint project of the Pacific Research
Institute and the Educational Results Partnership with funding and support from
California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE)—a non-profit organization
whose mission is to raise student academic achievement and close the achievement gap.
The database is updated annually as new financial data becomes available.

3. How to Navigate the Database:
Access the California School Finance Center homepage at
http://www.schoolfinancecenter.org
Search Individual School Districts or Charter Schools
Once you have accessed the homepage, you can begin by searching for individual school
districts, charter schools, or county offices of education by simply entering part of a
District or Charter Name and clicking GO. For more detailed search options, select the
user category from the orange box on the upper left-hand side of the homepage that
describes you best.
Once you have accessed the appropriate user page, you can begin your search using one
of five search methods:
1) School district name or charter school name
2) City
3) Zip code (from the optional drop-down menu select desired mile range)
4) County
5) Legislative district
Once you have entered your search parameters, click
which will redirect you to your search results page.
The results page will include a list of school districts, charter schools, and county offices
of education within your search parameters along with basic information to help guide
your selection:
1) Type of school organization
2) Phone number
3) County
4) Number of enrolled students
5) Number of schools in the district
Once you have found the result you are looking for, click on its blue link. (If your
desired result does not show up, you can select the homepage button on the navigation
bar at the top of the screen to adjust your search. For best result use one to two words
of a school district or charter school only. School-level data is not available. While all
data is from the California Department of Education, some districts or charter schools
may not have reported data. )
Start Search

4. Once you have selected a school district, you will be directed to the Return
on Investment (ROI) page which includes information on:
&& District type
&& Enrollment
&& Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
&& Academic Achievement - Based on the district’s average of
students scoring at grade level in math and English/language arts
according to the California Standards Test.
&& Meter display of academic achievement percentile ranking.
&& Meter display of money received per student percentile ranking.
What does this mean?
&& The concept of "Return on Investment" (ROI) is commonly used to
describe the ratio of the revenue received for a given investment
or project to the revenue or benefits delivered. As applied here
it attempts to quantify the relationship between a school district's
revenue and its history of increases in student achievement.
&& The "Academic Achievement - Percentile Rank” ranks the district’s
overall student achievement as an average of English language arts
and mathematics. Higher numbers represent districts having greater
success in raising student achievement.
&& The "Money Received Per Student - Percentile Rank” ranks the
school district revenue per Average Daily Attendance (ADA).
Higher numbers represent districts receiving higher amounts of per-
student funding and conversely, low numbers represent districts
receiving lesser amounts of per-student funding.
&& The combination of these two measures enables you to compare the
impact the district is having on student academic achievement and
the amount of revenue received per attending student.
0
25
50
75
100
low
med.
high
Academic Achievement
Precentile Rank
0
25
50
75
100
low
med.
high
Money Received Per Student
Precentile Rank

5. $ Per Student: provides data on the type of revenue received and total revenue received
from 2003-04 school year to 2007-08 school year. Each revenue type is linked to a
separate page that provides a more detailed breakdown of revenue categories and
amounts within that revenue source.The three graphs on the right of the page show
(1) Comparative Revenue between the local school districts, similar districts, and
California’s statewide district average, (2) Revenue Over Time, and (3) Revenue Source
Over Time.
Achievement: Measures student achievement from federal and state data sources.
1) In Program Improvement (PI) Across the top of the page is snapshot data about whether
the district and any of its schools are in “Program Improvement” (PI).This designation indicates
that schools have not reached their annual adequate yearly progress (AYP) student proficiency
targets under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for three or more years and are
required to take specified steps toward improving. Students in any PI school have the right to
transfer to another public school within the district that is not designated PI, and the district
must pay for their transportation costs. For more detailed information about what steps PI
schools must take, see the California Department of Education’s “NCLB Program Improvement
School Requirements” web site, http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ti/nclbpireq.asp.
2) Federal - No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Under No Child Left Behind, authorized
under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), states must report the
achievement levels of all students across various sub-groups to show whether they are making
adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward grade-level proficiency. AYP is a combination score
using state test results to look at student achievement growth and grade-level proficiency.To
achieve the goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2014, each school in a district must reach specified
annual proficiency targets.The first table in on this page indicates whether schools in the district
or charter school has met the AYP target for all students. Data is also broken out into student
demographic subgroups.The checked boxes located in the second column titled, “Include in
Charts Below” can be selected and deselected to control which demographic student subgroups
appear in the graphs below.This allows you to see and compare which student subgroups
are meeting AYP. The graphs below the table present proficiency performance over time in
Language Arts and Mathematics for the selected student subgroups.
3) State – College Readiness (Early Assessment Program) Is a voluntary program designed to
provide students, their families, and high schools with early signals about students’ readiness for
college-level English and mathematics. When students take the grade eleven California Standards
Tests (CST) in English and either Algebra II or Summative High School Mathematics, students
may also complete a brief set of optional multiple-choice questions and a writing exercise that are
part of the Early Assessment Program (EAP). Students who do not test college-ready are eligible
for additional preparation in the 12th grade.
Use the navigation bar for more detailed data
Overview: provides a logistical overview of district information including address,
contact information, state senate district, state assembly district, enrollment, and
student demographics.
return on investment overview $ per student achievement staff census show all
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Revenue$/ADA
Comparative Revenue
$967
$1690
$1255
$562
$4996
$1618
$2113
$922
$2045
$3633
$1946
$2657
$967
$2046
$3821
Brawley
Elementary
(9,473)
Average
Elementary
(10,333)
Average
District
(11,439)
Other Local
Other State
Federal
Property Tax
State Aid
Revenue Over Time
8000
8500
9000
9500
10000
10500
11000
11500
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
$/ADA
YEAR
Brawley Elementary Avg. Elementary All Districts
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Revenue Source Over Time
$/ADA
YEARState Aid
Local Property Taxes and Fees
Federal Revenue
Other State Revenue
Other Local Revenue

6. 4) Academic Performance Index (API) - Is the state measure of student achievement.The API
averages the state-wide standardized tests including: California Standards Tests (CST) and
California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to give an indicator of each school’s academic
performance.The chart gives the percentage of students performing at grade level or above.The
API thermometer provides a visual for the number of students performing at grade-level overall.
You can click on the thermometer image for a more detailed explanation of API scores. At the
bottom of the page the chart breaks down API scores by student demographic subgroups over
time. Each district’s goal is to reach a minimum API score of 800. If you click on the boxes under
“Subgroup,” an API calculator will pop up to display the number of years it will take for students
to reach proficiency.
Staff: Presents the most recent data
on staff salaries, the district or charter
school’s specific percent change over
the previous year, the state’s average
percent change over the previous
year, and the number of teaching
days. Salary data is compared by
position (including experience level)
and the number of teaching days. A
multi-year salary graph allows you to
view salary trends over time.
Census: Provides general census data for the county where the school district is
located including:
1) Ethnicity - measured by estimated population and percent of population.
2) Element - measuring median household income and median home value.
3) Parent education level.
Census data allows you to draw
comparisons between student
achievement and certain
correlative indicators such
as economics, ethnography,
and home environment to
determine if a given district or
charter school is representative
of the overall community.
Show All: Presents all
previously outlined information
for easier comparative analysis.
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
Salary
Year
Beg. Teacher
Exp. Teacher
Elem. Principal
Mid. Principal
Superintendent
Not High School Graduate
High School Graduate
Some College
College Grad
Grad School
Parent Education
Multi-Year Salary Chart

7. More California School Finance Center Tools:
Peer Comparisons: This feature allows you to evaluate school districts’ performance and
return on investment by district, region, and/or type.This is a valuable tool to identify
schools producing higher student performance while using average-to-low revenue per-
pupil amounts.
To create a peer comparison, begin entering basic search parameters following the same
steps for individual school district and charter school searches.
Next, narrow your search parameters by selecting:
1. Automatically or manually selected peers;
2. The number of peers to be compared; and
3. The type of institutions being compared
(district-charter, charter-charter, or district-district)
Once you have filled out your parameters, select the button.
Register: You can register by selecting the “Register” button on the navigation bar at the top
of the screen. If you register, you will be able to save your favorite districts or charter schools,
so displaying their data is just a couple of clicks away. Registered users also receive email
updates about new data and features as they become available.
Statewide Summary: This page provides a statewide snapshot for the most current of
the various data components presented for individual school districts and charter schools,
including Return on Investment, revenue per student, achievement, staff salary data, and
Census demographics.
Data Sources: This reference page provides links to the California Department of
Education data used to create the tables and charts in the database.
Frequently Asked Questions: This page is a quick reference to help answer questions you
may have as you are using the database. If you have a question not answered on the FAQ
page or in this guide, use the “contact form” link at the bottom of the page to send it to us.
Login: This page allows you to register. If you register, you will be able to save your favorite
districts or charter schools, so displaying their data is just a couple clicks away. Registered
users also receive email updates about new data and features as they become available.
For questions or comments about the database, please use our contact form.
Tips for Finding Peers
• Use the search boxes or pull-downs on the left to find your school district or charter school.
• You can also use any of the boxes or pull-downs (with the exception of District or Charter Name) to
limit the school districts or charter schools that will appear in the result. For best results use one to
two words in the Name or City box.
• If you use the city, zip code, county or Legislative district boxes, those filters will also be applied to
the resulting peers.
• The “Select Peers Automatically” function identifies similar schools or districts. Find details on how
similar schools or districts are selected here.
• The “Select Peers Manually” function allows you select up to 10 districts or charter schools to include
in the report.
Start Search

8. OneEmbarcaderoCenter
Suite350
SanFrancisco,CA94111
ABOUTUS
PacificResearchInstitute
ThemissionofthePacificResearchInstitute<http://
pacificresearch.org>(PRI)istochampionfreedom,opportunity,
andpersonalresponsibilityforallindividualsbyadvancingfree-
marketpolicysolutions.InEducationStudiesourgoalisto
provideallstudentswithaccesstoaqualityeducation.
CaliforniaBusinessforEducationExcellence
ThemissionofCaliforniaBusinessforEducationExcellence
<http://cbee.org>istoraisestudentacademicachievementand
closeachievementgapsinCaliforniapublicschoolsbyensuring
everystudentreachesaminimumofgradelevelproficiency.
EducationalResultsPartnership
Thenon-profitorganizationEducationalResultsPartnership
<http://edresults.org>providesafreeon-linedataandschool
improvementsystemcalledEdResults.orgtoCalifornia’spublic
schoolsandcommunities.
DataSources:
ThedatausedonthiswebsiteisretrievedfromtheCalifornia
DepartmentofEducationwebsite<http://cde.ca.gov><http://
cde.ca.gov>.ThesiteusesavarietyCDEofdatareleases
includingCDS,SACS,CBEDS,LanguageCensusandAPR
(AYP/API).

10. California School
Finance Center
A how-to guide on using
this useful online resource