Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Elementary Schools in Santa Maria, CA

At a glance

Schools

17,236

Students

Districts

Top rankedJoe Nightingale Elementary1423^rd of 5,857 California elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Bill Libbon Elementary up 227 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Arellanes (Don Juan Bautista) Elementary 17 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

0★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare California cities →See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

This analysis covers 24 elementary schools in Santa Maria, California, serving grades K-8 across three districts: Santa Maria-Bonita, Orcutt Union Elementary, and Blochman Union Elementary, revealing significant performance differences between them.

Schools in the Orcutt Union Elementary district, such as top-ranked Joe Nightingale Elementary and Pine Grove Elementary, consistently achieve higher test scores and statewide rankings than most schools in the larger Santa Maria-Bonita district, where several schools rank in the bottom 5th percentile. A notable exception is Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary, which shows strong, improving performance within the Santa Maria-Bonita district.

Interestingly, the higher-performing Orcutt district operates with larger class sizes and significantly lower per-student spending, suggesting factors beyond basic resources influence success. Parents should note that chronic absenteeism is generally lower than the state average here, and standout schools like Benjamin Foxen Elementary excel in specific areas like attendance.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)							CSA Spanish Listening (2025)							CSA Spanish Writing (2025)							CSA Spanish Reading (2025)							CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Benjamin Foxen Elementary	Public	K-8	4949 Foxen Canyon Rd.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Blochman Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 937-1148	210	10	20.9	44.8%	96 (45.7%)	1 (0.5%)	99 (47.1%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.2%)	52.9	2440^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.3%		54.8	2297^th of 5869 public elementary schools	60.9%	143																													25.0	31.8	28.3	56.0	60.0	41.7	58.3	60.9	31.8	51.5	56.0	60.0	12.5	16.7	34.8	13.6	31.9							$28,603	$27,384	$1,219
Bonita Elementary	Public	K-6	2715 West Main St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-8290	535	30	18.1	97.8%	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	529 (98.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	11.3	5548^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.3%		12.7	5504^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.2%	44																													4.3		4.3	14.3	11.1	14.3	27.0			16.7	19.5	13.9	11.4	18.9			16.0							$25,957	$24,212	$1,745
Adam (William Laird) Elementary	Public	K-6	500 West Windsor	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6700	874	36	24.6	96.8%	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	857 (98.1%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	13.8	5360^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.5%		14.2	5379^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.3%	19																													11.0		11.0	12.9	18.4	16.7	27.1			18.7	34.7	16.0	9.5	15.5			18.0							$21,178	$19,620	$1,558
Alvin Elementary	Public	K-6	301 East Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6760	998	41	24.2	97.6%	12 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	973 (97.5%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	12	5502^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	6.1%		14.8	5322^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	180																													12.8		12.8	17.2	17.4	22.2	15.9			18.1	22.3	16.4	16.7	6.7			15.6	97.2						$19,564	$17,888	$1,676
Arellanes (Don Juan Bautista) Elementary	Public	K-6	1890 Sandalwood Dr.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6860	298	17	17.0	95.3%	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	291 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29	4038^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.1%		33	3692^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	37.1%	346																													30.6		30.6	12.8	23.8	41.7	41.5			29.8	28.2	19.1	19.4	36.6			26.0							$28,269	$26,596	$1,673
Fairlawn Elementary	Public	K-6	120 Mary Dr.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7500	716	34	20.8	97.6%	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	705 (98.5%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.9	5272^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	10.0%		18.4	4993^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	14.9%	279																													11.8		11.8	21.1	22.2	16.8	29.7			22.4	16.5	18.9	14.7	18.5			17.1	96.5			97.4			$21,460	$19,810	$1,650
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary	Public	K-6	1248 East Dena Way	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7940	917	42	21.6	84.2%	56 (6.1%)	2 (0.2%)	819 (89.3%)	18 (2.0%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (1.9%)	17.2	5077^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.3%		21.8	4701^st of 5869 public elementary schools	19.9%	376																													17.7		17.7	27.6	18.4	26.7	19.3			23.3	30.3	15.0	14.0	17.7			19.2	92.3	94.4		93.7	96.5	96.5	$19,170	$17,446	$1,724
Miller (Isaac) Elementary	Public	K-6	410 East Camino Colegio	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7560	883	40	21.8	94.5%	20 (2.3%)	2 (0.2%)	839 (95.0%)	5 (0.6%)	7 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	8 (0.9%)	16	5179^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.6%		18	5030^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.3%	149																													12.4		12.4	24.1	22.0	26.8	22.9			24.0	27.4	21.6	11.5	14.4			19.0							$20,246	$18,608	$1,638
Oakley (Calvin C.) Elementary	Public	K-6	1120 West Harding St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7620	849	40	21.0	95.9%	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	830 (97.8%)	11 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	15	5261^st of 5857 public elementary schools	10.2%		14.8	5321^st of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	60																													13.5		13.5	14.2	25.9	20.0	17.2			19.4	18.2	33.0	12.7	11.1			19.0	95.6				96.4		$22,073	$20,412	$1,661
Rice (William) Elementary	Public	K-6	700 East Vickie Ave.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7740	887	40	21.9	95.2%	16 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	847 (95.5%)	3 (0.3%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.6%)	11	5567^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.0%		13	5480^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.6%	87																													5.1		5.1	19.7	13.0	13.8	25.6			18.1	24.1	13.4	6.8	13.3			14.4							$21,406	$19,548	$1,858
Bruce (Robert) Elementary	Public	K-6	601 West Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6940	1,050	47	22.3	96.1%	10 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1,026 (97.7%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	10.8	5583^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	4.7%		10.7	5651^st of 5869 public elementary schools	3.7%	68																													8.6		8.6	12.0	17.1	26.3	11.9			16.5	17.6	20.5	14.2	6.7			14.6	98.1						$20,386	$18,294	$2,092
Battles (Washington) Elementary	Public	K-6	605 East Battles Rd.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6880	769	37	20.8	97.3%	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	748 (97.3%)	9 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.0%)	11.4	5546^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.3%		13.8	5405^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.9%	141																													12.9		12.9	22.5	20.4	24.4	19.1			21.5	20.2	9.0	8.7	5.3			10.6	98.2		98.2		98.2		$21,634	$19,922	$1,712
Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary	Public	K-6	930 West Rancho Verde	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7680	869	35	24.8	94.2%	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	840 (96.7%)	10 (1.2%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	40.6	3177^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.8%		44.8	2878^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.0%	299																													22.1		22.1	32.5	44.4	40.2	37.7			38.5	49.6	46.3	30.1	22.8			37.2							$21,512	$19,834	$1,678
Taylor (Ida Redmond) Elementary	Public	K-6	1921 North Carlotti Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6250	849	45	19.0	85.7%	36 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	762 (89.8%)	33 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	12 (1.4%)	17.3	5074^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.4%		18.2	5009^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.7%	65																													12.4		12.4	17.2	26.3	20.7	30.3			24.3	19.0	21.6	10.7	24.1			19.0	98.3			98.3		98.3	$23,943	$21,272	$2,671
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary	Public	K-6	804 West Liberty St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-4625	654	31	20.8	96.2%	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	645 (98.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.4	4459^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.9%		25.2	4353^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	25.8%	106																													16.5		16.5	15.1	24.4	23.4	40.2			25.9	34.5	28.4	11.5	33.0			27.3	95.1	95.1	97.0	98.0	96.0	98.0	$23,109	$21,348	$1,761
Liberty Elementary	Public	K-6	1300 West Sonya Ln.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-4530	865	41	20.9	92.7%	28 (3.2%)	5 (0.6%)	799 (92.4%)	23 (2.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	12.8	5435^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.2%		11.6	5575^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.0%	140																													10.7		10.7	15.6	19.1	31.5	21.0			21.6	24.6	13.9	13.3	4.8			14.5	97.9			97.9			$15,707	$13,458	$2,249
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary	Public	K-8	1970 South Biscayne St.	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-4340	1,177	47	25.0	80.7%	44 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1,085 (92.2%)	32 (2.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.1%)	23.5	4550^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.3%		28.4	4074^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.6%	476	10.3	8.8	4.2	7.3	6.1	22.7	9.7	39.7	14.0	31.3	14.6	24.5	27.3	25.1	15.5	17.5	2.1	12.7	22.5	34.1	17.0	8.6	10.5	4.2	7.3	4.1	22.7	9.3	14.3	27.5	20.8	30.7	23.4	24.3	45.2	43.7	58.3	37.4	26.1	25.2	10.7	24.8	14.3	37.6	23.1	96.6	97.2		96.6	97.9	97.2	$16,888	$15,152	$1,736
Bill Libbon Elementary	Public	K-6	750 Meehan St.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6500	834	36	23.4	87.9%	46 (5.5%)	11 (1.3%)	735 (88.1%)	22 (2.6%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.8%)	23.8	4519^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.8%		21.3	4746^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.1%	227																													16.9		16.9	24.8	33.0	38.3	31.7			31.4	18.8	27.3	32.1	13.6			22.3	98.5		98.5		98.5		$21,391	$19,304	$2,087
Ralph Dunlap Elementary	Public	K-6	1220 Oak Knoll Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8500	502	19	26.4	56.2%	170 (33.9%)	5 (1.0%)	264 (52.6%)	16 (3.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.8%)	35.1	3567^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.1%		35.2	3505^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.3%	62																													32.3		32.3	37.3	26.1	36.9	32.9			33.2	37.9	29.0	35.9	28.4			32.5							$28,985	$18,678	$10,307
Joe Nightingale Elementary	Public	K-6	255 Winter Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8650	695	26	26.7	66.9%	148 (21.3%)	7 (1.0%)	446 (64.2%)	18 (2.6%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	71 (10.2%)	73.9	1423^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	75.7%		74.3	1400^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.1%	23																													55.8		55.8	42.4	52.4	75.5	67.0			59.5	45.7	47.6	60.0	54.7			52.0							$28,770	$20,946	$7,824
Patterson Road Elementary	Public	K-6	400 Patterson Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8750	662	25	26.7	60.9%	188 (28.4%)	2 (0.3%)	378 (57.1%)	9 (1.4%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (11.9%)	46.2	2809^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.0%		55.4	2271^st of 5869 public elementary schools	61.3%	538																													30.5		30.5	19.1	42.9	43.4	61.9			41.6	23.6	36.4	42.5	45.2			37.1							$26,722	$18,672	$8,050
Pine Grove Elementary	Public	K-6	1050 East Rice Ranch Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8800	569	22	25.8	58.7%	187 (32.9%)	6 (1.1%)	298 (52.4%)	16 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (10.7%)	65.5	1820^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.9%		68.8	1649^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.9%	171																													41.5		41.5	44.8	44.3	48.4	60.3			49.3	44.8	59.5	48.9	62.0			53.4							$29,276	$20,108	$9,168
Alice Shaw Elementary	Public	K-6	759 Dahlia Pl.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8850	530	21	24.6	76.4%	124 (23.4%)	4 (0.8%)	363 (68.5%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.2%)	35	3581^st of 5857 public elementary schools	38.9%		35.6	3477^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.8%	104																													18.1		18.1	33.3	41.8	36.1	42.7			38.6	42.4	32.8	23.6	25.7			30.8							$30,732	$20,232	$10,500
Orcutt School for Independent Study	Public, Virtual	K-8	1220 Oak Knoll Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 960-5572	44	2	21.7	72.7%	14 (31.8%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (56.8%)	2 (4.5%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.5%)								(n/a)																														15.0	12.5					50.0	14.3	27.1					21.4	10.5	17.4

Cities Near Santa Maria

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Orcutt	5.08 mi	2
Los Alamos	10.01 mi	1	630^th
Lompoc	13.41 mi	17	705^th
Vandenberg Afb	13.41 mi	3	407^th
Nipomo	13.89 mi	5	413^th

See the top CA California cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.