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Santa Lucia Middle

Public Grades 6-8
1310th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,761 California Middle Schools
Better than 53% of California middle schools
Summary

Santa Lucia Middle is a small public school serving 112 students in grades 6-8 in the coastal community of Cambria, CA, and is part of the Coast Unified School District.

Despite the district's overall low ranking, Santa Lucia Middle stands out for its strong performance in science and English, significantly outperforming district averages, and for maintaining a lower rate of chronic student absenteeism than both the district and state. The school has a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.5 to 1, allowing for more individualized attention, and serves a student population where a high percentage qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's performance has shown a strong recovery since the pandemic, moving from a 2-star to a 3-star rating and ranking above the middle point for all California middle schools.

Interesting patterns in the school's performance include a notable strength in 8th-grade science and steady improvement in English scores from 6th to 8th grade, though math scores show a concerning drop in 7th grade that the school may be addressing. Per-student spending at the school is exceptionally high, and while outcomes are mixed, the school's ability to achieve competitive results with its student population is a notable strength. There are no other schools within 20 miles for direct comparison, making Santa Lucia Middle a distinctive educational option in its area.

112
Students ?
11.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$32,496
Per pupil spending ?
87.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2850 Schoolhouse Ln.
       Cambria, CA  93428-4108

(805) 927-3693

District: Coast Unified


Students who attend Santa Lucia Middle usually attend:

High:    Coast Union High

Feeder schools for Santa Lucia Middle:

Elementary:    Cambria Grammar
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
75.9%
White:
18.8%
Two or more races:
3.6%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 31st percentile in 2022 → 53rd in 2025
Strengths
✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2025) from a 31st-percentile low (2022)
✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)
✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school35%
District avg29%
California avg41%
1,310th of 2,761
California public middle schools ?
Top 47%▼ down 15 pts since 2015
From top 33% (2015) to top 47% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1100th of 1,543Coast Unified among California districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202545.51310 of 276152.6%★★★☆☆
202450.31164 of 278358.2%★★★☆☆
202348.71204 of 278156.7%★★★☆☆
202227.01893 of 274030.9%★★☆☆☆
202134.7557 of 89437.7%★★☆☆☆
201973.7623 of 271577.1%★★★★☆
201872.2603 of 248075.7%★★★★☆
201768.1707 of 250871.8%★★★★☆
201669.2670 of 249773.2%★★★★☆
201562.3814 of 247767.1%★★★☆☆
201372.2534 of 237977.6%★★★★☆
201277.3369 of 225983.7%★★★★☆
201170.7529 of 223676.3%★★★★☆
201057.5850 of 217961.0%★★★☆☆
200960.4733 of 206364.5%★★★☆☆
200870.2485 of 200575.8%★★★★☆
200772.3440 of 199978.0%★★★★☆
200663.1576 of 180468.1%★★★☆☆
200570.3439 of 177775.3%★★★★☆
200475.4347 of 176980.4%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202445.7550 of 147862.8%★★★☆☆
202335.7937 of 152138.4%★★☆☆☆
202148.3117 of 36367.8%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202537.11462 of 253342.3%★★☆☆☆
202451.61021 of 255160.0%★★★☆☆
202347.91099 of 253156.6%★★★☆☆
202231.41618 of 250935.5%★★☆☆☆
202140.1409 of 73844.6%★★☆☆☆
201970.0623 of 238073.8%★★★★☆
201874.5507 of 226277.6%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202543.21237 of 239548.4%★★☆☆☆
202443.61177 of 238850.7%★★★☆☆
202345.81094 of 237453.9%★★★☆☆
202218.72059 of 235912.7%★☆☆☆☆
201975.7384 of 221382.6%★★★★☆
201877.1326 of 207284.3%★★★★☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202549.5202 of 47757.7%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202548.21135 of 254255.4%★★★☆☆
202454.0922 of 257964.2%★★★☆☆
202354.3896 of 253164.6%★★★☆☆
202227.61785 of 245827.4%★☆☆☆☆
202137.4450 of 72137.6%★★☆☆☆
201978.2344 of 236985.5%★★★★☆
201878.4313 of 223086.0%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202550.91061 of 253458.1%★★★☆☆
202447.31154 of 255254.8%★★★☆☆
202348.51110 of 253856.3%★★★☆☆
202225.41830 of 252727.6%★☆☆☆☆
202134.4473 of 76338.0%★★☆☆☆
201973.9543 of 240777.4%★★★★☆
201865.8661 of 227370.9%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
201974.6365 of 160277.2%★★★★☆
201868.9463 of 149669.1%★★★☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
White (2019)77th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2024)63rd percentile+5 vs school
Male (2025)58th percentile+6 vs school
Homeless (2025)58th percentile+5 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)55th percentile+3 vs school
Hispanic (2025)48th percentile-4 vs school
Female (2025)42nd percentile-10 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state
Science40%+7 vs state
Mathematics28%-9 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Lucia Middle

Students who attend Santa Lucia Middle usually go on to attend Coast Union High

Students at Santa Lucia Middle are 76% Hispanic, 19% White, 4% Two or more races.

In the 2024-25 school year, 112 students attended Santa Lucia Middle.

Santa Lucia Middle ranks 1310th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Cambria, CA

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Latest California data All new data »
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026
2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025
2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025


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.

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