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About Our Region

The West Region—Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah—spans nearly 500,000 square miles, with more than 14,000 public schools, ranging in location from the very remote to the densely urban. Approximately 372,000 (full-time equivalent) teachers serve more than 8 million socioeconomically, linguistically, and culturally diverse students in the K–12 system. In California alone, there are more than a million English learner students. In three of the region’s four states, more than half of all students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

The ongoing effort to improve academic and life outcomes for all of these learners requires that educators and policymakers routinely make difficult choices, whether instructional decisions in the classroom, resource decisions at school board meetings, or policy decisions in state departments of education or the legislature.

Click on the images below to download a PDF with profiles of each state in the West Region.

Download public school snapshot for Arizona
Download public school snapshot for California
Download public school snapshot for Nevada
Download public school snapshot for Utah

West Regional Snapshot

14,674 Public Schools 13% of Public Charters Schools 2,022 Local Education Agencies (Districts) 8,518,622 Students 364,840 Teachers (full time equivalent) 50% of Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch 12% of Students With Individualized Education Programs 15% of English Language Learner or Limited English Proficiency Students 19% of 4-year-olds Enrolled in a Publicly Funded Preschool Program 79% of Students Graduate from High School 39% of 18 to 24-year-olds Enrolled in Degree-granting Postsecondary Institutions 40% of Students Living in Urban Areas 44% of Students Living in Suburban Areas 9% of Students Living in Towns 8% of Students Living in Rural Areas
pie chart of Race/Ethnicity Breakdown
  • 2% American Indian or Alaska Native
  • 6% Asian or Pacific Islander
  • 6% Black
  • 39% Hispanic
  • 44% White
  • 3% Two or more races
bar chart of Students archieving at or above proficient
  • 32% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 36% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 31% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 32% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient

Arizona Snapshot

2330 Public Schools 24% of Public Charter Schools 699 Local Education Agencies (Districts) 1,106,677 Students 47,868 Teachers (full time equivalent) 50% of Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch 13% Students with Individualized Education Programs 6% of English Language Learner or Limited English Proficiency Students 19% of 4-year-olds Enrolled in a Publicly Funded Preschool Program 77% of Students Graduate from High School 39% of 18 to 24-year-olds Enrolled in Degree-granting Postsecondary Institutions 49% of Students Living in Urban Areas 31% of Students Living in Suburban Areas 10% of Students Living in Towns 10% of Students Living in Rural Areas
pie chart of Race/Ethnicity Breakdown
  • 5% American Indian or Alaska Native
  • 3% Asian or Pacific Islander
  • 5% Black
  • 45% Hispanic
  • 4% Two or more races
  • 38% White
bar chart of Students archieving at or above proficient
  • 31% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 37% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 28% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 31% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient

California Snapshot

10,323 Public Schools 12% of Public Charter Schools 1,156 Local Education Agencies (Districts) 6,206,088 Students 271,523 Teachers (full time equivalent) 59% of Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch 12% of Students With Individualized Education Programs 20% of English Language Learner or Limited English Proficiency Students 47% of 4-year-olds Enrolled in a Publicly Funded Preschool Program 82% of Students Graduate from High School 49% of 18 to 24-year-olds Enrolled in Degree-granting Postsecondary Institutions 42% of Students Living in Urban Areas 46% of Students Living in Suburban Areas 6% of Students Living in Towns 6% of Students Living in Rural Areas
pie chart of Race/Ethnicity Breakdown
  • 12% Asian or Pacific Islander
  • 6% Black
  • 54% Hispanic
  • 5% Two or more races
  • 23% White
bar chart of students achieving at or above proficient
  • 32% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 34% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 30% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 29% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient

Nevada Snapshot

708 Public Schools 10% of Public Charter Schools 21 Local Education Agencies (Districts) 492,180 Students 23,709 Teachers (full time equivalent) 59% of Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch 13% of Students With Individualized Education Programs 16% of English Language Learner or Limited English Proficiency Students 15% of 4-year-olds Enrolled in a Publicly Funded Preschool Program 71% of Students Graduate from High School 31% of 18- to 24-year-olds Enrolled in Degree-granting Postsecondary Institutions 50% of Students Living in Urban Areas 36% of Students Living in Suburban Areas 8% of Students Living in Towns 6% of Students Living in Rural Areas
pie chart of Race/Ethnicity Breakdown
  • 1% American Indian or Alaska Native
  • 6% Asian or Pacific Islander
  • 11% Black
  • 2% Hawaiian Native or Pacific Islander
  • 42% Hispanic
  • 6% Two or more races
  • 32% White
bar chart of students achieving at or above proficient
  • 31% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 34% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 29% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 26% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient

Utah Snapshot

1,051 Public Schools 12% of Public Charter Schools 160 Local Education Agencies (Districts) 668,274 Students 29,212 Teachers (full time equivalent) 36% of Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Price Lunch 13% of Students With Individualized Education Programs 6% of English Language Learner or Limited English Proficiency Students 13% of 4-year-olds Enrolled in a Publicly Funded Preschool Program 85% of Students Graduate from High School 41% of 18 to 24-year-olds Enrolled in Degree-granting Postsecondary Institutions 16% of Students Living in Urban Areas 63% of Students Living in Suburban Areas 11% of Students Living in Towns 10% of Students Living in Rural Areas
pie chart of Race or Ethnicity Breakdown
  • 1% American Indian or Alaska Native
  • 2% Asian or Pacific Islander
  • 1% Black
  • 2% Hawaiian Native or Pacific Islander
  • 17% Hispanic
  • 3% Two or more races
  • 74% White
bar chart of students achieving at or above proficient
  • 40% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 46% of 4th Grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 38% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Reading Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient
  • 37% of 8th-grade Students Attaining Math Achievement Levels at or Above Proficient

Legend:

  • Local Education Agency (LEA)
  • Full Time Employee (FTE)
  • Individualized Education Program (IEP)
  • English Language Learner (ELL)
  • Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

References:

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2014-15 v.1a.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, “Selected Statistics from the Public Elementary and Secondary Education Universe: School Year 2013–14”, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/2015151/tables/table_03.asp

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/ Secondary School Universe Survey," 2014–15, Provisional Version 1a, "Local Education Agency Universe Survey," 2014–15, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_214.30.asp

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey Membership Data", 2014-15, v.1a. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/tableGenerator.aspx

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2000-01, 2010-11, 2012-13, and 2013-14. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_204.10.asp?current=yes

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), Local Education Agency (School District) Universe Survey Special ED Data", 2014-15 v.1a https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/tableGenerator.aspx

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey Membership Data", 2014-15, v.1a. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_203.70.asp?current=yes

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Local Education Agency (School District) Universe Survey LEP Data", 2014-15 v.1a https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/tableGenerator.aspx

U.S. Department of Education (2015). A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America. https://www2.ed.gov/documents/early-learning/matter-equity-preschool-america.pdf

EDFacts Data Groups 695 and 696, School year 2014–15 https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/ACGR_RE_and_characteristics_2014-15.asp

U.S Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2014. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_302.65.asp?current=yes

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2013-14, (version 1a). https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/tables/a.1.a.-3.asp

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2013-14, (version 1a). https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/tables/A.1.a.-3_2.asp

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2015 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_221.40.asp

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2015 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_222.50.asp

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2015 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_221.60.asp

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2015 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_222.60.asp