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Which teacher or staff member at Santa Maria High deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
3,143
High
DISTRICT 2,233 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA MARIA JOINT UNION HIGH·NCES 063567006084
Santa Maria High
901 South Broadway, Santa Maria, CA 93454 · (805) 925-2567 · Santa Barbara County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL3,143 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 28% of California public high schools
- C-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.
- AThree-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
21.9:1
144 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.4:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
76%
2,392 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 | 867 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 734 | 23% |
| Grade 11 | 749 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 793 | 25% |
Student demographics
5%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
44.5%
CA avg 49.1% . +14.5pp since 2014
Math
15.7%
CA avg 37.7% . -3.3pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 16 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 15 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 3 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 14.8% | 29.7% | 24.4% | 31.1% |
| Math | 2.8% | 12.9% | 21.9% | 62.4% |
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 | 44.5% | 15.7% |
| 2023-24 | 43.4% | 13.7% |
| 2022-23 | 27.9% | 10.4% |
| 2021-22 | 28.3% | 11.6% |
| 2018-19 | 44.7% | 24.3% |
| 2017-18 | 42.4% | 23.9% |
| 2016-17 | 43.3% | 21.8% |
| 2015-16 | 47.0% | 27.0% |
| 2014-15 | 30.0% | 19.0% |
% 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
29.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 29% 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 Santa Maria High
Santa Maria High's state test result (29.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria High this school | 3,143 | 76.1% | 29.3% |
| Pioneer Valley High Santa Maria | 3,080 | 71.9% | 36.3% |
| Dinuba High Dinuba | 2,115 | 76.5% | 43.6% |
| Pacifica High Oxnard | 2,675 | 81.2% | 24.1% |
| El Rancho High Pico Rivera | 1,995 | 73.9% | 46.0% |
| Oxnard High Oxnard | 2,452 | 76.1% | 33.5% |
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 Santa Maria High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Barbara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.3% | #820 of 1,052 | #9 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 15.7% | #807 of 1,056 ▼ 10 | #9 of 10 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.5% | #813 of 1,056 ▼ 5 | #8 of 10 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +10.1pp | #144 of 1,044 | #1 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 3,143 | #21 of 2,093 | #1 of 19 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.9:1 | #839 of 1,352 | #9 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 5.1% | #1,301 of 1,351 | #11 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 76.1% | #719 of 1,575 | #4 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +20.1% | #49 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
3,143
+62 (+2%) vs 2020
+35% since 1990-91, when it was 2,331
Student : Teacher
21.9:1
was 22.6:1
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 | 3,143 | 143.5 | 21.9:1 | 76% (2,392) |
| 2023-24 | 3,110 | 145.6 | 21.4:1 | 81% (2,530) |
| 2022-23 | 3,196 | 140.7 | 22.7:1 | 77% (2,458) |
| 2020-21 | 3,081 | 136 | 22.6:1 | 79% (2,422) |
| 2017-18 | 2,618 | 114.8 | 22.8:1 | 86% (2,257) |
| 2015-16 | 2,695 | 133 | 20.3:1 | 86% (2,305) |
| 2010-11 | 2,369 | N/A | N/A | 74% (1,749) |
| 2000-01 | 3,298 | 126 | 26.2:1 | 34% (1,137) |
| 1990-91 | 2,331 | 85 | 27.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Santa Maria High.
Since 2017-18: students up 20% (2,618 to 3,143); teachers up 25% (114.8 to 143.5).
About Santa Maria High
Santa Maria High is a large high school that serves part of Santa Maria, California. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend, and enrollment is 3,143 students. The typical figure for high schools in California is about 838 students.
Santa Maria High reports to Santa Maria Joint Union High, which has 4 schools and 8,930 students.
Hispanic students make up 97% of enrollment at Santa Maria High. For comparison, the population of Santa Barbara County is roughly 48% Hispanic. The school's diversity index is 5%, meaning two students picked at random have a 5% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The teaching staff at Santa Maria High is 143.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 21.9:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. About 76% of students, or 2,392, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Santa Maria High is graded C by allk12, scoring above 28% of California public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Santa Maria High scores 29.3% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 35.0%.
Santa Maria High is located in Santa Barbara County, where the median household income is $98,161, roughly 37% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. Santa Maria High is one of 129 public schools in the county.
The nearest other public school, Miller (Isaac) Elementary, is about 0.4 miles away. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 20.3%; Santa Maria High's is 29.3%, ranking 1st of 9.
NCES assigns Santa Maria High the locale City: Mid-size, meaning inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment at Santa Maria High was 3,081 in 2020-21 and 3,143 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%.
Threads on this page can be about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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
- Pioneer Valley HighHigh · 3,080 students
- Ernest Righetti HighHigh · 2,416 students
- Delta HighHigh · 291 students
Other schools in Santa Maria
- 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
- Fesler (Isaac) Junior HighMiddle · 974 students
Other Santa Maria High schools
One other US public school is named Santa Maria High. Santa Maria High is the largest of the 2.
- Santa Maria High SchoolSANTA MARIA, TX · 165 students
Nearby schools
- Miller (Isaac) Elementary0.4 mi · 883
- Adam (William Laird) Elementary0.5 mi · 874
- Sanchez (David J.) Elementary0.6 mi · 654
- Battles (Washington) Elementary0.9 mi · 769
- Fairlawn Elementary1.0 mi · 716
- El Camino Junior High1.2 mi · 830
Frequently asked questions
About Santa Maria HighHow many students attend Santa Maria High?
Santa Maria High enrolls approximately 3,143 students in grades 09-12.
Is Santa Maria High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Santa Maria High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Maria High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Santa Maria High is approximately 21.9:1 (144 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Santa Maria High?
At Santa Maria High, the student body is approximately 1% White, 97% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Who oversees Santa Maria High?
Santa Maria 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.