On every scale we could find, Los Angeles and Sacramento Counties were just around or below the state average.  (Unsurprisingly for Los Angeles, as it holds a quarter of the state’s population -- which is so significant as to drive the average.)  

It’s important to realize that there is a high level of pain across California education. That said, and hard as it is to believe anyone could survive it, there is even more financial distress in the high-cost areas.