Santa Monica High

Santa Monica High, a big 9-12 campus in Santa Monica, California, run under Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, enrolls 2,588 students, covering grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 838 students per school, that is 209% above typical.

Within Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, which oversees 15 schools and 8,616 students, Santa Monica High is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Santa Monica High records that the most-represented group is White (40%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder consists of 34% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, 7% Asian, 7% Black. That is noticeably more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 31%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 130 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 19.9:1. The state averages around 18.2:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 35% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Los Angeles County runs at roughly 70%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Santa Monica High sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 58.4%; this one delivers 70.3%.

Across the wider county, Los Angeles County reports that the typical household earns roughly $90,112 per year, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Santa Monica High is one of 2244 public schools in Los Angeles County (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students).

Nearest neighbor: Santa Monica Alternative (K-8), around 0.5 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Santa Monica High at 5th of 7; the average score across the group is 65.8%.

Santa Monica High operates from a metropolitan location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 8%: 2,826 students in 2018 compared to 2,588 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.