The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), the largest in Orange County and fifth (2005) largest in the state, is administered by a five-member, nonpartisan board of education that appoints a superintendent.
The district boasts distinctions such as two Nationally Distinguished Schools, several State Distinguished Schools, and numerous first or second place "Golden Bell" awards from the California School Boards Association for excellence in innovative programs. McFadden Intermediate received a GEARING Up federal grant in 2004 to create the McFadden Mathematics Institute; the Institute will offer advanced instruction and technology based materials for seventh and eighth grade students with proven math skills. Twenty-four elementary schools and four intermediate schools offer year-round programs. Ninety-one percent of the student body is Hispanic, and the district average of students who speak limited English was 71.4 percent in the 2003–2004 school year. Like many other California school districts, SAUSD faced tough budget prospects in 2005 as state funding shrunk.
The following is a summary of data regarding Santa Ana's public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 62,874
Number of facilities elementary schools: 37
intermediate schools: 9
senior high schools: 7
other: 5
Student/teacher ratio: 23:1
Teacher salaries average: $56,059 (2003–2004)
Funding per pupil: $4,682
A variety of private schools also operate in the city.
Public Schools Information: Santa Ana Unified School District, 1601 East Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701; telephone (714)558-5501; email webmaster@sausd.k12.ca.us
Rancho Santiago Community College District's 58 acre Santa Ana Campus is a two-year institution providing associate of arts degrees, vocational certificates, transfer programs to four year schools, and customized on-site employee training programs for local companies; the college is in the process of developing a Digital Media Center. Located within commuting distance of Santa Ana, other Orange County colleges include the University of California at Irvine, California State University at Fullerton, and Chapman College in Orange.
The Santa Ana Public Library system operates a main facility, a Family Learning Center, a youth computer learning center, an adult computer lab, and a bookmobile. Holdings consist of more than 335,000 volumes and more than 400 periodicals, plus CDs, tapes, videos, and maps. Special collections include California and Santa Ana history, foreign language books and cassettes, and federal and state documents.
The Orange County Public Library, based in Santa Ana and operating 32 branches, holds more than 2.5 million volumes and 5,000 periodicals, and maintains a special collection of Law Library documents. Other libraries and research centers are affiliated with government agencies, colleges, hospitals, and private corporations. Research activities in botany are conducted at the Ranch Santa Ana Botanical Garden.
Public Library Information: City of Santa Ana Library, 26 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701; telephone (714)647-5250. Orange County Public Library, 1501 East St. Andrew's Place, Santa Ana, CA 92705; telephone (714)551-7159