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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED·NCES 063570006102

Santa Monica High

601 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405 · (310) 395-3204 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL2,588 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 95% of California public high schools
  • ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • BThree-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

Enrollment
2,588
High
DISTRICT 1,002 · STATE 838
Student : Teacher
19.9:1
130 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.0:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
35%
916 students
DISTRICT 31% · 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

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 964325%
Grade 1060323%
Grade 1163224%
Grade 1271027%
Student demographics
70%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
1,03740%
DISTRICT 48% · STATE 20% · US 43%
Hispanic
88934%
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 56% · US 30%
Black
1897%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 5% · US 15%
Asian
1917%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 12% · US 6%
Two+
26610%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Pacific Islander
30%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
1,35252%
Female
1,22347%

Discussions

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Test scores

CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standard
English Language Arts
83.3%
CA avg 49.1% . +21.3pp since 2014
Math
56.5%
CA avg 37.7% . +9.5pp since 2014

What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 83 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 57 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 21 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 10 points.

Performance levels, 2024-25

SubjectStandard ExceededStandard MetStandard Nearly MetStandard Not Met
English Language Arts57.8%25.5%9.8%6.8%
Math34.9%21.7%20.0%23.5%
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 yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2583.3%56.5%
2023-2483.8%56.9%
2022-2383.1%50.9%
2021-2282.0%51.1%
2018-1981.3%56.4%
2017-1879.2%51.0%
2016-1783.1%53.2%
2015-1662.0%50.0%
2014-1562.0%47.0%
% 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
70.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.8%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.3pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 70% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 59% 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 Monica High

Santa Monica High's state test result (70.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Santa Monica High this school2,58835.4%70.1%
Liberty High
Brentwood
2,83635.7%45.0%
Frontier High
Bakersfield
2,09835.8%52.0%
Temecula Valley High
Temecula
2,73936.4%49.9%
Menlo-Atherton High
Atherton
2,15833.0%61.6%
Henry High
San Diego
2,48541.6%60.4%
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 Monica High ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn CaliforniaIn Los Angeles County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
70.1%#82 of 1,052#20 of 228
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
56.5%#110 of 1,056
▼ 14
#29 of 229
▼ 7
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
83.3%#63 of 1,056
▼ 1
#19 of 229
no change
3-year test score change
ranked biggest gain first
+3.3pp#446 of 1,044#126 of 229
Enrollment
ranked largest first
2,588#80 of 2,093#20 of 486
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
19.9:1#529 of 1,352#184 of 358
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
69.7%#131 of 1,351#16 of 359
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
35.4%#1,354 of 1,575#355 of 396
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-8.4%#516 of 802#167 of 227
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 2024-25
Enrollment
2,588
-275 (-10%) vs 2020
-7% since 1990-91, when it was 2,779
Student : Teacher
19.9:1
was 22.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-252,588130.419.9:135% (916)
2023-242,573135.119.1:131% (793)
2022-232,678137.819.4:130% (804)
2020-212,86313022.0:124% (695)
2017-182,826140.920.1:127% (750)
2015-162,95012823.1:129% (846)
2010-113,114N/AN/A27% (853)
2000-013,24013424.2:116% (518)
1990-912,77911424.4:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Santa Monica High.

Since 2017-18: students down 8% (2,826 to 2,588); teachers down 7% (140.9 to 130.4).

About Santa Monica High

Santa Monica High is a large high school for students in Santa Monica, California. The school counts 2,588 students across grades 9 through 12. The typical figure for high schools in California is about 838 students.

In Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, 15 schools enroll a combined 8,616 students.

The most common group at Santa Monica High is White students, at 40%. Other groups include 34% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, 7% Asian, and 7% Black. The county population is about 31% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 70% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.

Teacher staffing is 130.4 full-time equivalents, or about 19.9 students per teacher. This ratio sits 1.7 above the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 35%. It compares with 70% for public schools in Los Angeles County.

Measured against California public high schools, Santa Monica High receives an A+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.

Santa Monica High's average proficiency rate on state tests of 70.1% is 11.3 points above the 58.8% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.

In the county around the school, Los Angeles County, the median household income is $90,112, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of people live in poverty. There are 2,244 public schools in Los Angeles County, enrolling about 1,265,907 students in all.

Santa Monica Alternative (K-8) is the public school closest to Santa Monica High, about 0.5 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Santa Monica High at 5th of 7.

The federal government classifies Santa Monica High's location as City: Small.

Enrollment has fallen by 275 students since 2020-21, to 2,588. The number of students per teacher fell from 22.0 to 19.9 over 4 years.

Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Santa Monica High. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.

Los Angeles County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
9,808,667
Census ACS
Median income
$90,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
2,244
1,265,907 students

Quick facts

School name
Santa Monica High
District
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
Address
601 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone
(310) 395-3204
County
Los Angeles County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
2,588
Teachers (FTE)
130
Student–teacher ratio
19.9:1
Free and reduced lunch
916 (35%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
063570006102
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
Other schools in Santa Monica
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Santa Monica High
What is the total enrollment at Santa Monica High?
Santa Monica High enrolls approximately 2,588 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Santa Monica High serve?
Santa Monica High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Monica High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Santa Monica High is approximately 19.9:1 (130 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Santa Monica High?
At Santa Monica High, the student body is approximately 40% White, 34% Hispanic, 7% Black, 7% Asian, 10% Two or more.
What district is Santa Monica High in?
Santa Monica High is part of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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