Rice (William) Elementary

Set in Santa Maria, California, Rice (William) Elementary is a high-enrollment primary school, overseen by Santa Maria-Bonita. It caters to 887 students across grades K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 91% bigger than typical.

Across the 21 schools in Santa Maria-Bonita (17,408 students total), Rice (William) Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Rice (William) Elementary reports that nearly all students (95%) are Hispanic. By comparison, Santa Barbara County as a whole is about 48% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Rice (William) Elementary has 40 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 22.0:1. The state averages about 22.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 95% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Santa Barbara County (around 68%), the school's rate is north of typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Rice (William) Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 22.8%; this one delivers 15.8%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Santa Barbara County indicate median household earnings sit near $98,161, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. In all, Santa Barbara County runs 129 public schools (combined enrollment of about 66,191 students), of which Rice (William) Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Alvin Elementary, roughly 0.5 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Rice (William) Elementary ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 20.8%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count remained close to its prior level: 902 students in 2018 compared to 887 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 23.7:1 in 2018 to 22.0:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for Rice (William) Elementary typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.