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Does Alice Shaw Elementary have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
530
Elementary
DISTRICT 453 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ORCUTT UNION ELEMENTARY·NCES 062871004468
Alice Shaw Elementary
759 Dahlia Pl., Santa Maria, CA 93455 · (805) 938-8850 · Santa Barbara County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL530 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 40% of California public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
24.7:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 25.2:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
76%
405 students
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 92 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 78 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 62 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 73 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 74 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 74 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 77 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (92) is 19% larger than its 6th grade class (77).
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
38.6%
CA avg 49.1% . +4.6pp since 2014
Math
30.8%
CA avg 37.7% . +5.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 5 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 6 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 11.8% | 26.8% | 25.4% | 36.1% |
| Math | 9.3% | 21.5% | 30.8% | 38.4% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 38.6% | 30.8% |
| 2023-24 | 36.5% | 26.6% |
| 2022-23 | 33.3% | 29.3% |
| 2021-22 | 33.7% | 26.4% |
| 2018-19 | 51.6% | 40.4% |
| 2017-18 | 50.3% | 39.8% |
| 2016-17 | 41.0% | 34.6% |
| 2015-16 | 37.0% | 33.0% |
| 2014-15 | 34.0% | 25.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
33.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.8%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Alice Shaw Elementary
Alice Shaw Elementary's state test result (33.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Shaw Elementary this school | 530 | 76.4% | 33.2% |
| La Paloma Elementary Fallbrook | 499 | 78.6% | 59.6% |
| Rocky Hill Elementary Exeter | 554 | 78.0% | 44.9% |
| Rose Avenue Elementary Modesto | 561 | 74.9% | 28.6% |
| Dana Elementary Nipomo | 612 | 77.1% | 32.8% |
| Elmer Wood Elementary Atwater | 514 | 76.3% | 43.5% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Alice Shaw Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Barbara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.2% | #3,142 of 5,151 | #37 of 66 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 30.8% | #3,145 of 5,172 ▲ 300 | #37 of 66 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.6% | #3,083 of 5,172 ▼ 14 | #36 of 66 ▲ 4 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +4.7pp | #1,760 of 5,116 | #13 of 66 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 530 | #2,092 of 5,915 | #27 of 75 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 24.7:1 | #4,220 of 5,352 | #54 of 63 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 47.2% | #2,970 of 5,354 | #29 of 63 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 76.4% | #2,505 of 5,625 | #32 of 70 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.1% | #2,281 of 3,837 | #25 of 47 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
530
-8 (-1%) vs 2020
-11% since 1990-91, when it was 594
Student : Teacher
24.7:1
was 25.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 530 | 21.5 | 24.7:1 | 76% (405) |
| 2023-24 | 526 | 21.4 | 24.6:1 | 60% (316) |
| 2022-23 | 511 | 20.4 | 25.1:1 | 53% (269) |
| 2020-21 | 538 | 21 | 25.6:1 | 53% (283) |
| 2017-18 | 610 | 23.4 | 26.1:1 | 54% (328) |
| 2015-16 | 642 | 22 | 29.2:1 | 55% (351) |
| 2010-11 | 603 | N/A | N/A | 42% (256) |
| 2000-01 | 599 | 29 | 20.7:1 | 27% (162) |
| 1990-91 | 594 | 21 | 28.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Alice Shaw Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (610 to 530); teachers down 8% (23.4 to 21.5).
About Alice Shaw Elementary
Alice Shaw Elementary is an elementary school with a street address in Santa Maria, California. The school enrolls 530 students in kindergarten through 6.
Alice Shaw Elementary is part of Orcutt Union Elementary, where 10 schools serve 4,911 students.
Of every 100 students at Alice Shaw Elementary, about 68 are Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 23% White and 6% multiracial. Among all residents of Santa Barbara County, the Hispanic share is about 48%. The diversity index for Alice Shaw Elementary is 47%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 24.7:1. The school has 21.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in California is 22.3:1. In all, 76% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
On the allk12 Grade, Alice Shaw Elementary lands at C+, ahead of 40% of California public elementary schools.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Alice Shaw Elementary would score about 34.8%. It scores 33.2%, 1.6 points below that figure.
Census data for Santa Barbara County show median household income comes to about $98,161, about 37% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 9%. The county has 129 public schools and about 66,191 students.
Measured in a straight line, Ernest Righetti High is about 0.5 miles from Alice Shaw Elementary. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Alice Shaw Elementary is 5th of 6 on proficiency.
Alice Shaw Elementary is coded as Suburb: Mid-size in federal locale data.
The school's size has been steady, with 538 students in 2020-21 and 530 in 2024-25.
The Alice Shaw Elementary discussion page is a place for homework, tutoring, and testing dates. You can also rate the school on this page.
Santa Barbara County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
443,701
Census ACS
Median income
$98,161
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
129
66,191 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Orcutt Union Elementary
- Orcutt Academy CharterCombined · 812 students
- Joe Nightingale ElementaryElementary · 695 students
- Patterson Road ElementaryElementary · 662 students
- Pine Grove ElementaryElementary · 569 students
- Ralph Dunlap ElementaryElementary · 502 students
- Orcutt Junior HighMiddle · 464 students
Other schools in Santa Maria
- Santa Maria HighHigh · 3,143 students
- Pioneer Valley HighHigh · 3,080 students
- Ernest Righetti HighHigh · 2,416 students
- JIMENEZ ROBERTO AND DR. FRANCISCO ELEMENTARYElementary · 1,177 students
- Bruce (Robert) ElementaryElementary · 1,050 students
- Alvin ElementaryElementary · 998 students
Nearby schools
- Ernest Righetti High0.5 mi · 2,416
- Lakeview Junior High0.6 mi · 463
- Joe Nightingale Elementary0.8 mi · 695
- Patterson Road Elementary1.5 mi · 662
- Orcutt School for Independent Study1.5 mi · 44
- Ralph Dunlap Elementary1.5 mi · 502
Frequently asked questions
About Alice Shaw ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Alice Shaw Elementary?
Alice Shaw Elementary enrolls approximately 530 students in grades KG-06.
Is Alice Shaw Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Alice Shaw Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Alice Shaw Elementary have?
Alice Shaw Elementary employs 21 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 24.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Alice Shaw Elementary?
Student demographics at Alice Shaw Elementary are roughly 23% White, 68% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Alice Shaw Elementary?
Alice Shaw Elementary is overseen by Orcutt Union Elementary in Santa Barbara County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.