The San Diego Unified School District is the second largest school district in the state and eighth largest urban school district in the country. Its nonpartisan five-member board is elected every four years, and the superintendent is hired by the board. The district operates 24 magnet schools offering in-depth studies in areas ranging from science and research to journalism and telecommunications.
The following is a summary of data regarding the San Diego Unified School District as of the 2004-2005 school year.
Total enrollment: approximately 136,000
Number of facilities elementary schools: 113
middle level schools/junior high schools: 23
senior high school: 27
other: 39 (4 atypical, 10 alternative, and 25 charter)
Student/teacher ratio: 18.8:1 (in 2002-2003)
Teacher salaries minimum: $34,517
maximum: $66,653
Funding per pupil: $7,508 (2000-2001 school year)
Public Schools Information: San Diego City Schools, Eugene Brucker Education Center, 4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103; telephone (619)725-8000
The San Diego area is also served by a number of parochial and private schools.
Major universities in San Diego include the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), San Diego State University (SDSU), and the University of San Diego (USD), which is a Catholic university. UCSD, one of the University of California's 10 campuses, is regarded as a top institution for higher education and was recently rated seventh best public university in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Campus enrollment is approximately 23,000. UCSD has six undergrad colleges all on one campus, each maintaining its own set of requirements while sharing departmental majors: Thurgood Marshall College, John Muir College, Revelle College, Roosevelt College, Sixth College, and Warren College. UCSD's graduate and professional schools include: the acclaimed Scripps Institution of Oceanography (one of the oldest and largest centers for marine science research and graduate training in the world), School of Medicine, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jacobs School of Engineering (graduate and undergraduate), and Rady School of Management. SDSU, the oldest and largest university in San Diego and third largest in the state, has an enrollment of nearly 34,000. A readers' poll in the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2004 ranked SDSU "Best Local College/University." SDSU offers bachelor's degrees in 81 areas of study, 59 master's degrees, and 13 joint-doctoral degrees. USD, a private, Roman Catholic university, has an enrollment of 7,262; the university offers more than 60 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, and is particularly noted for its law and nursing schools.
In 2004, Library Journal named San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy "Politician of the Year" for his commitment to the city's public libraries. In 2002, the mayor and city council approved a $312.3 million program to build or improve 24 libraries; among the goals of the program is a new, state-of-the-art downtown library. San Diego is served by two major library systems. The San Diego Public Library operates 34 branches in addition to the main library, maintaining more than 2.8 million volumes, 310 e-books, 4,116 periodical subscriptions, 168,265 audio/visual materials, and collections such as local and state history, rare books and the history of printing, and U.S. Department of Patents documents. The San Diego County Library system consists of a main branch and 31 branches, two bookmobiles, and an adult literacy site with a combined total of more than 1.4 million volumes available. Special collections include audio and video tapes, films, art reproductions, extensive Filipino, Spanish, and Vietnamese collections, and special services for the deaf, including closed-captioned video tapes and talking books. More than 30 other public, private, and research libraries serve the metropolitan area.
A large number of specialized research centers functioning in such subject areas as oceanography, nuclear energy, astronomy, and biological sciences are scattered throughout San Diego. Among the most prominent research centers are the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, which focuses on molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, and plant biology, and the Palomar Observatory, a center for astronomy research, located atop San Diego county's Mount Palomar.
Public Library Information: San Diego Public Library, 820 E Street, San Diego, CA 92101; telephone (619)236-5800.