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What's something Ernest Righetti High does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,416
High
DISTRICT 2,233 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA MARIA JOINT UNION HIGH·NCES 063567006083
Ernest Righetti High
941 East Foster Rd., Santa Maria, CA 93455 · (805) 937-2051 · Santa Barbara County
GRADES 09–12HIGH22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,416 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 46% of California public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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 high schools
Student : Teacher
21.0:1
115 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.4:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
55%
1,340 students
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 625 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 611 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 604 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 576 | 24% |
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 18% · 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
60.5%
CA avg 49.1% . +15.5pp since 2014
Math
22.6%
CA avg 37.7% . +4.6pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 23 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 16 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 5 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 25.8% | 34.7% | 21.6% | 17.9% |
| Math | 8.3% | 14.3% | 27.6% | 49.8% |
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 | 60.5% | 22.6% |
| 2023-24 | 61.6% | 20.4% |
| 2022-23 | 49.2% | 18.1% |
| 2021-22 | 53.3% | 18.9% |
| 2018-19 | 61.9% | 22.9% |
| 2017-18 | 45.6% | 20.8% |
| 2016-17 | 45.3% | 14.7% |
| 2015-16 | 52.0% | 22.0% |
| 2014-15 | 45.0% | 18.0% |
% 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
41.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 47% 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 Ernest Righetti High
Ernest Righetti High's state test result (41.3% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Righetti High this school | 2,416 | 55.5% | 41.3% |
| La Serna High Whittier | 2,372 | 58.4% | 57.6% |
| Hollister High Hollister | 3,316 | 61.6% | 37.0% |
| Abraham Lincoln High San Jose | 1,590 | 56.2% | 35.7% |
| El Diamante High Visalia | 1,890 | 62.6% | 47.2% |
| Turlock High Turlock | 2,479 | 58.8% | 36.5% |
Matched among California high 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 Ernest Righetti High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Barbara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 41.3% | #497 of 1,052 | #4 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 22.6% | #604 of 1,056 ▼ 5 | #6 of 10 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 60.5% | #464 of 1,056 ▼ 61 | #3 of 10 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +5.5pp | #325 of 1,044 | #4 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,416 | #122 of 2,093 | #3 of 19 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.0:1 | #693 of 1,352 | #7 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.8% | #846 of 1,351 | #6 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 55.5% | #1,112 of 1,575 | #9 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +8.5% | #150 of 327 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high 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
2,416
-51 (-2%) vs 2020
+38% since 1990-91, when it was 1,755
Student : Teacher
21.0:1
was 21.6:1
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 | 2,416 | 114.9 | 21.0:1 | 55% (1,340) |
| 2023-24 | 2,424 | 120.4 | 20.1:1 | 61% (1,469) |
| 2022-23 | 2,494 | 112.6 | 22.2:1 | 64% (1,584) |
| 2020-21 | 2,467 | 114 | 21.6:1 | 52% (1,271) |
| 2017-18 | 2,226 | 91.9 | 24.2:1 | 57% (1,262) |
| 2015-16 | 2,139 | 93 | 23.0:1 | 51% (1,084) |
| 2010-11 | 2,283 | N/A | N/A | 32% (723) |
| 2000-01 | 2,614 | 106 | 24.7:1 | 13% (343) |
| 1990-91 | 1,755 | 70 | 25.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ernest Righetti High.
Since 2017-18: students up 9% (2,226 to 2,416); teachers up 25% (91.9 to 114.9).
About Ernest Righetti High
In Santa Maria, California, Ernest Righetti High is a large high school. The school covers grades 9 through 12 and reported 2,416 students in 2024-25. On average, high schools in California enroll around 838, and this school is 188% above that mark.
Ernest Righetti High is a school in Santa Maria Joint Union High. The district has 4 schools and 8,930 students.
Hispanic students are 75% of those enrolled at Ernest Righetti High. Beyond that, enrollment is 18% White and 3% Asian. In Santa Barbara County overall, about 48% of residents are Hispanic. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 40, compared with 70 nationally.
Its staff includes 114.9 full-time-equivalent teachers, for about 21.0 students per teacher. The average for high schools in California, 18.2:1, is lower. Ernest Righetti High has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 55%. Among public schools in Santa Barbara County, the average eligibility rate is 68%.
On the allk12 Grade, Ernest Righetti High lands at B-, ahead of 46% of California public high schools.
Ernest Righetti High's average proficiency rate across its state test results of 41.3% is 5.8 points below the 47.0% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.
In Santa Barbara County, home to about 443,701 people, the median household earns about $98,161 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 37% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 9%. Ernest Righetti High shares Santa Barbara County with 128 other public schools.
Ernest Righetti High is about 0.5 miles from Alice Shaw Elementary, its nearest public school. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of 6 schools in the immediate area with test results, Ernest Righetti High ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
Ernest Righetti High is coded as Suburb: Mid-size in federal locale data.
Compared with 2020-21, when it had 2,467 students, enrollment in 2024-25 was about the same at 2,416.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Ernest Righetti High. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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 Santa Maria Joint Union High
- Santa Maria HighHigh · 3,143 students
- Pioneer Valley HighHigh · 3,080 students
- Delta HighHigh · 291 students
Other schools in Santa Maria
- Santa Maria HighHigh · 3,143 students
- Pioneer Valley HighHigh · 3,080 students
- JIMENEZ ROBERTO AND DR. FRANCISCO ELEMENTARYElementary · 1,177 students
- Bruce (Robert) ElementaryElementary · 1,050 students
- Alvin ElementaryElementary · 998 students
- Fesler (Isaac) Junior HighMiddle · 974 students
Nearby schools
- Alice Shaw Elementary0.5 mi · 530
- Lakeview Junior High1.0 mi · 463
- Ralph Dunlap Elementary1.1 mi · 502
- Orcutt School for Independent Study1.1 mi · 44
- Patterson Road Elementary1.2 mi · 662
- Family Partnership Charter1.3 mi · 372
Frequently asked questions
About Ernest Righetti HighHow many students attend Ernest Righetti High?
Ernest Righetti High enrolls approximately 2,416 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Ernest Righetti High serve?
Ernest Righetti High serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Ernest Righetti High have?
Ernest Righetti High employs 115 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 21.0:1.
How diverse is Ernest Righetti High?
Ernest Righetti High reports a student body of 18% White, 75% Hispanic, 1% Black, 3% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees Ernest Righetti High?
Ernest Righetti High is overseen by Santa Maria Joint Union High in Santa Barbara County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.