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Salinas Union High

New rankings! California test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

673^rdof 968 California districts▲ 308

Better than 30% of California districts

Middle 4 High 8Grades 7-12

431 West Alisal St.
Salinas, CA 93901-1624·(831) 796-7000·All California district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2026

2026: better than 30.5% of districts

Schools

15,703

Students

Top rankedSalinas High724^th of 2,137 California high schools

▲

Biggest riser

North Salinas High up 73 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Mount Toro High 14.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

0★

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

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

Summary:

The Salinas Union High district includes 12 schools serving grades 7–12: four middle schools and eight high schools, with 15,703 students enrolled. In 2025–26, the six high schools serving grades 9–12 averaged 45% proficiency in ELA, 17% in math, and 22% in science; the four grades 7–8 middle schools averaged 34%, 21%, and 23%, respectively. All three middle-school averages were below state results, as were high-school math and science averages. The most important finding is the sharp spread among high schools: ELA proficiency ranged from 3% to 64%, a 62-point gap.

Salinas High led the grades 9–12 group in all three subjects, with 64% proficiency in ELA, 28% in math, and 37% in science. Its ELA and science results were 15 and 1 points above state results, while math was 11 points below. At the other end, Mount Toro High recorded 3% in ELA, 0% in math, and 2% in science—47, 38, and 34 points below the state, respectively. SchoolDigger also ranked Salinas High in the 66th percentile statewide and Mount Toro in the 4th. Among middle schools, Washington Middle led ELA at 39%, while El Sausal Middle led math at 26% and science at 27%.

From 2024–25 to 2025–26, the high-school group averages declined by 2 points in ELA and 1 point in math, while science was nearly flat; middle-school averages fell 1 point in ELA but rose 1 in math and 2 in science. State results rose over the same period, so the groups generally lost ground relative to the state. SchoolDigger ranked Washington Middle in the 37th percentile. As context, the free/reduced lunch eligible share in school year 2024–25 was 78% at Salinas High and 95% at Alisal High; Salinas scored 9 points higher in ELA, 7 in math, and 17 in science. This is an observation, not an explanation of results. Carr Lake Community Day’s test values are suppressed, so no proficiency figures are available for that school.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Harden Middle	Public	7-8	1561 McKinnon St.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7300	1,101	52	21.1	82.2%	29 (2.6%)	10 (0.9%)	1,016 (92.3%)	34 (3.1%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	20.8	2151^st of 2703 public middle schools	20.4%		22.1	2150^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.1%	1	21.3				21.3	26.6	32.8		29.7	16.6	18.0		17.3	$29,522	$27,946	$1,576
Everett Alvarez High	Public	9-12	1900 Independence Blvd.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7800	1,978	91	21.8	92.7%	21 (1.1%)	9 (0.5%)	1,860 (94.0%)	62 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (1.2%)	32.9	1429^th of 2137 public high schools	33.1%		40.6	1246^th of 2162 public high schools	42.4%	183			18.3	6.8	13.9			41.5	41.5			14.5	14.5	$27,907	$26,138	$1,769
Alisal High	Public	9-12	777 Williams Rd.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7600	2,742	120	22.9	95.2%	9 (0.3%)	4 (0.1%)	2,685 (97.9%)	31 (1.1%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (0.3%)	44.2	1163^rd of 2137 public high schools	45.6%		53.8	953^rd of 2162 public high schools	55.9%	210		21.2	21.6	2.2	20.0			55.0	55.0			21.2	21.2	$26,545	$25,058	$1,487
El Sausal Middle	Public	7-8	1155 East Alisal St.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7200	1,067	48	22.1	91.7%	10 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1,052 (98.6%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	32.6	1706^th of 2703 public middle schools	36.9%		32.8	1723^rd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%	17	27.0				27.0	35.3	37.9		36.6	20.1	31.6		25.7	$31,165	$29,292	$1,873
Mount Toro High	Public	9-12	10 Sherwood Pl.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7700	204	14	14.7	96.1%	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	199 (97.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	8.2	2043^rd of 2137 public high schools	4.4%		9.3	2052^nd of 2162 public high schools	5.1%	9				2.3	2.3			2.5	2.5			0.0	0.0	$78,647	$70,020	$8,627
North Salinas High	Public	9-12	55 Kip Dr.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7500	2,106	105	20.1	93.5%	52 (2.5%)	13 (0.6%)	1,933 (91.8%)	71 (3.4%)	3 (0.1%)	5 (0.2%)	25 (1.2%)	43.1	1193^rd of 2137 public high schools	44.2%		39.7	1266^th of 2162 public high schools	41.4%	73			37.7	7.4	29.2			50.4	50.4			14.4	14.4	$28,872	$27,186	$1,686
Salinas High	Public	9-12	726 South Main St.	Salinas	93901	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7400	2,380	110	21.6	77.5%	401 (16.8%)	20 (0.8%)	1,810 (76.1%)	71 (3.0%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	72 (3.0%)	64.6	724^th of 2137 public high schools	66.1%		73.6	523^rd of 2162 public high schools	75.8%	201			41.1	23.5	37.0			64.4	64.4			27.7	27.7	$26,699	$25,190	$1,509
Washington Middle	Public	7-8	560 Iverson St.	Salinas	93901	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7100	1,082	51	21.2	81.7%	62 (5.7%)	9 (0.8%)	977 (90.3%)	19 (1.8%)	9 (0.8%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	32.9	1694^th of 2703 public middle schools	37.3%		38.6	1531^st of 2761 public middle schools	44.5%	163	26.9				26.9	37.9	39.6		38.7	20.6	27.6		24.0	$30,230	$28,470	$1,760
La Paz Middle	Public	7-8	1300 North Sanborn Rd.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7900	1,099	55	20.0	93.4%	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1,092 (99.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20.3	2181^st of 2703 public middle schools	19.3%		22.8	2119^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.3%	62	16.0				16.0	32.5	31.9		32.2	16.6	17.5		17.1	$28,891	$27,100	$1,791
Carr Lake Community Day	Public	7-12	10 Sherwood Pl.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7700	18	2	9.0	94.4%	1 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (88.9%)	1 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$92,819	$89,736	$3,083
El Puente	Public	7-12	20 Sherwood Pl.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7700	326	20	16.3	93.6%	13 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	304 (93.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	28.2	1521^st of 2137 public high schools	28.8%		26.2	1567^th of 2162 public high schools	27.5%	46	14.3			16.7	16.3		50.0	40.2	41.8		6.7	1.3	3.0	$40,030	$38,668	$1,362
Rancho San Juan High	Public	9-12	1100 Rogge Rd.	Salinas	93901	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 273-7700	1,600	77	20.7	84.1%	73 (4.6%)	9 (0.6%)	1,449 (90.6%)	41 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	26 (1.6%)	53.8	955^th of 2137 public high schools	55.3%		54	949^th of 2162 public high schools	56.1%	6			34.6	0.0	29.9			55.8	55.8			23.8	23.8	$30,245	$28,660	$1,585

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Salinas City Elementary	0.66 mi	15	848^th
Santa Rita Union Elementary	0.67 mi	7	915^th
Monterey County Office of Education	0.96 mi	8	605^th
Oasis Charter Public District	1.39 mi	1	942^nd
Alisal Union	1.39 mi	14	836^th

See the top CA California districts

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.