Sonoma County Schools & Education
Sonoma County, California
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
48/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
83.5%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
83.5%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 87.5%
Per-Pupil Spending
$8,942
National avg $13,239
State avg $8,762
School Score
48/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 55/100
State Score Position
#44
of 58 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Sonoma County
Measured School Summary
Sonoma County has midrange measured school signals (score: 48/100) with a graduation rate of 83.5%, which warrants review in official state and district records.
Funding Context
Sonoma County spends $8,942 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 13% below the California average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 4.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 2% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Sonoma County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
180 public schools and 61 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
48/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #44 of 58 California counties with school score data.
Completion
83.5%
4.0 pts below the state average
Funding context
$8,942
$180 above the state average
School coverage
180
61 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Sonoma County has 180 public schools across 61 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Sonoma County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Choice-program county
Sonoma County has a visible charter, magnet, or virtual-school layer in NCES records. The practical question is eligibility, lottery timing, and transportation, not just whether a school appears nearby.
State position
#44
of 58 California counties with school score data. The county score is 7 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 99% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Santa Rosa High
Middle and high visible
10,049 students
12 listed schools in this county slice.
Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified
Elementary to high school visible
5,970 students
13 listed schools in this county slice.
Petaluma Joint Union High
Elementary to high school visible
4,900 students
10 listed schools in this county slice.
Santa Rosa Elementary
Elementary school only in this slice
4,739 students
13 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified is the largest listed district slice, with 13 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Sonoma County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Sonoma County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Which schools are missing enrollment or ratio fields, and does the district publish a newer local profile than the NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data?
Data Story
Charter Schools Represent Nearly Thirty Percent of Sonoma County Public Institutions
Education data brief for Sonoma County, California.
Sonoma County's public education landscape is notable for its high concentration of charter schools, which account for 52 of the 180 total campuses, or 28.9%. This structural composition is spread across 61 school districts, with Santa Rosa High serving as the largest district with 10,049 students. According to NCES data, the county-wide graduation rate is 83.5%, trailing the California state average of 87.5% and the national rate of 87.0%. Funding for these students involves a per-pupil expenditure of $8,942, which is slightly above the state average of $8,762 but remains roughly $4,000 below the national average of $13,000. The county's composite school score is 48.0, falling below the national median of 50.0 and the state average of 55.4. These schools serve a total enrollment of 63,218 students with an average campus size of 368. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
180
in Sonoma County
Reported Enrollment
63,218
178 schools reporting
School Districts
61
districts
Charter Schools
52
29% of total
School Level Breakdown
61 School Districts in Sonoma County
Santa Rosa High
GuideCotati-Rohnert Park Unified
GuidePetaluma Joint Union High
GuideSanta Rosa Elementary
GuideWindsor Unified
GuideSonoma Valley Unified
Rincon Valley Union Elementary
Petaluma City Elementary
Old Adobe Union
Bellevue Union
180 Public Schools in Sonoma County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 13 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 20 of 180 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Grande High | Profile | Petaluma Joint Union High | Petaluma, 94954City: Small | 9–12 | High | 1,710 |
| Santa Rosa High | Profile | Santa Rosa High | Santa Rosa, 95401City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 1,682 |
| Rancho Cotate High | Profile | Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified | Rohnert Park, 94928Suburb: Large | 9–12 | High | 1,611 |
| Windsor High | Profile | Windsor Unified | Windsor, 95492Suburb: Large | 9–12 | High | 1,603 |
| Maria Carrillo High | Profile | Santa Rosa High | Santa Rosa, 95409City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 1,591 |
| Montgomery High | Profile | Santa Rosa High | Santa Rosa, 95405City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 1,572 |
| Analy High | Profile | West Sonoma County Union High | Sebastopol, 95472Suburb: Large | 9–12 | High | 1,466 |
| Piner High | Profile | Santa Rosa High | Santa Rosa, 95403City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 1,361 |
| Roseland Charter | Profile | Roseland Charter District | Santa Rosa, 95407City: Midsize | KG–12 | Charter | 1,293 |
| Petaluma High | Profile | Petaluma Joint Union High | Petaluma, 94952City: Small | 9–12 | High | 1,220 |
| Cali Calmecac Language Academy | Profile | Windsor Unified | Windsor, 95492Suburb: Large | KG–8 | Charter | 1,168 |
| Sonoma Valley High | Profile | Sonoma Valley Unified | Sonoma, 95476Town: Fringe | 9–12 | High | 1,127 |
| Elsie Allen High | Profile | Santa Rosa High | Santa Rosa, 95407City: Midsize | 9–12 | High | 1,055 |
| Cesar Chavez Language Academy | Record | Santa Rosa Elementary | Santa Rosa, 95407City: Midsize | KG–8 | Charter | 853 |
| Lawrence E. Jones Middle | Record | Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified | Rohnert Park, 94928Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 791 |
| Rincon Valley Middle | Record | Santa Rosa High | Santa Rosa, 95409City: Midsize | 7–8 | Middle | 786 |
| Kenilworth Junior High | Record | Petaluma Joint Union High | Petaluma, 94954City: Small | 7–8 | Middle | 779 |
| Oak Grove Elementary/Willowside Middle | Record | Oak Grove Union Elementary | Santa Rosa, 95401Rural: Fringe | 1–8 | Charter | 742 |
| Windsor Middle | Record | Windsor Unified | Windsor, 95492Suburb: Large | 6–8 | Middle | 725 |
| Herbert Slater Middle | Record | Santa Rosa High | Santa Rosa, 95405City: Midsize | 7–8 | Middle | 716 |
Casa Grande High
Petaluma Joint Union High
Petaluma, 94954 / City: Small
Santa Rosa High
Santa Rosa High
Santa Rosa, 95401 / City: Midsize
Rancho Cotate High
Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified
Rohnert Park, 94928 / Suburb: Large
Windsor High
Windsor Unified
Windsor, 95492 / Suburb: Large
Maria Carrillo High
Santa Rosa High
Santa Rosa, 95409 / City: Midsize
Montgomery High
Santa Rosa High
Santa Rosa, 95405 / City: Midsize
Analy High
West Sonoma County Union High
Sebastopol, 95472 / Suburb: Large
Piner High
Santa Rosa High
Santa Rosa, 95403 / City: Midsize
Roseland Charter
Roseland Charter District
Santa Rosa, 95407 / City: Midsize
Petaluma High
Petaluma Joint Union High
Petaluma, 94952 / City: Small
Cali Calmecac Language Academy
Windsor Unified
Windsor, 95492 / Suburb: Large
Sonoma Valley High
Sonoma Valley Unified
Sonoma, 95476 / Town: Fringe
Elsie Allen High
Santa Rosa High
Santa Rosa, 95407 / City: Midsize
Cesar Chavez Language Academy
Santa Rosa Elementary
Santa Rosa, 95407 / City: Midsize
Lawrence E. Jones Middle
Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified
Rohnert Park, 94928 / Rural: Fringe
Kenilworth Junior High
Petaluma Joint Union High
Petaluma, 94954 / City: Small
Oak Grove Elementary/Willowside Middle
Oak Grove Union Elementary
Santa Rosa, 95401 / Rural: Fringe
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$8,942
State avg $8,762
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Sonoma County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
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What is the graduation rate in Sonoma County?
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.