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San Marcos Senior High

Q: Is San Marcos Senior High a good school?

San Marcos Senior High ranks 746 th of 2137 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

746^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,137 California High Schools

Better than 65% of California high schools

Summary

San Marcos Senior High serves 1,926 students in grades 9–12 in Santa Barbara, within Santa Barbara Unified. It ranks second in test results among the nearby conventional high schools, but its clearest academic contrast is that science is a strength while math is below both state and district results.

Science is the school’s strongest subject relative to local, state and district comparisons: 42% of students were proficient, above the state’s 36% and the district’s 40%. Math is its clearest weakness, at 31% proficient versus 38% statewide and 44% in the district. In English language arts (ELA), 53% were proficient, above the state’s 49% and just above the district’s 53% (53.4% versus 53.2%). Among nearby conventional high schools, San Marcos placed second in all three subjects, behind Dos Pueblos Senior High, which scored 71% in ELA, 48% in math and 51% in science. San Marcos was ahead of Santa Barbara Senior High and Carpinteria Senior High in each subject.

Over four years, science proficiency rose from 31% to 42%, while ELA slipped from 56% to 53% and math from 32% to 31%; the math deficit versus the state widened from 3 to 8 percentage points. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking fell from the 74th percentile and 4 stars in 2024–2025 to the 65th percentile and 3 stars in 2025–2026. Its student-teacher ratio was 21.1 in 2024–2025, and 58% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year; California’s statewide free-meals flag means that figure does not indicate whether students can receive free meals. Graduation was 93% in 2025–2026, matching the district and exceeding the state’s 88%, while chronic absenteeism was 21%, above the district and state at 18% each. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves Special Education Students ranked the group at the 17th percentile, versus 65th overall; White Students ranked at the 88th percentile. San Marcos’s 12th-grade science result is suppressed, so it is unknown.

1,926

Students ?

21.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,272

Per pupil spending ?

58.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

4750 Hollister Ave.
Santa Barbara, CA 93110-1921

(805) 967-4581

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Feeder schools for San Marcos Senior High:

Elementary:	Adams Elementary
	Harding University Partnership
	Monroe Elementary
Middle:	La Cumbre Junior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

60.5%

White:

32.0%

Two or more races:

4.4%

See top rated California high schools

Compare San Marcos Senior High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2015 → 65th in 2026

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Above the California median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg47%

California avg42%

746^th of 2,137

California public high schools ?

Top 35%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to top 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5High Schools in the Santa Barbara Unified

354^th of 968Santa Barbara 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	63.4	746 of 2137	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	72.2	559 of 2162	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	64.8	655 of 2159	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.4	639 of 2170	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	55.8	801 of 2123	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.3	526 of 2133	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.3	488 of 2017	75.8%	★★★★☆
2017	68.2	631 of 2021	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.8	923 of 2039	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.4	580 of 1994	70.9%	★★★★☆
2013	50.1	788 of 2426	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.3	18 of 585	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	47.4	354 of 591	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.1	319 of 581	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.6	280 of 582	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.6	394 of 581	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	47.5	447 of 1161	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	21.2	1002 of 1117	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.9	456 of 1052	56.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	41.5	552 of 1085	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.1	928 of 1064	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	655 of 1044	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.3	714 of 941	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.2	655 of 938	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	643 of 1865	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	77.1	405 of 1906	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	66.4	551 of 1915	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	70.3	503 of 1915	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	57.9	661 of 1858	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.0	433 of 1833	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	74.5	447 of 1760	74.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	39.7	1154 of 1880	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.3	1063 of 1900	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.5	1016 of 1902	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	977 of 1917	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.9	1018 of 1861	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.5	600 of 1814	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.0	515 of 1742	70.4%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	52.4	117 of 299	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	157 of 290	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	1165 of 1999	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.2	1120 of 2013	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	1033 of 2026	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.1	1016 of 2030	50.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.2	942 of 1943	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.0	703 of 1937	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.1	621 of 1862	66.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	56.9	781 of 1932	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.0	727 of 1942	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.6	739 of 1948	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.2	704 of 1963	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.7	852 of 1916	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	612 of 1880	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.9	537 of 1834	70.7%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	112 of 156	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.5	96 of 175	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	129 of 183	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.2	151 of 190	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	128 of 168	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	228 of 588	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.1	239 of 577	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	277 of 574	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	82.6	84 of 541	84.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	1023 of 1235	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.9	950 of 1252	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	998 of 1216	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.9	442 of 1197	63.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	84.1	141 of 1132	87.5%	★★★★☆
2025	87.7	94 of 1155	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	79.3	216 of 1173	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	334 of 1193	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	55.8	522 of 1204	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.1	321 of 1222	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	76.9	265 of 1173	77.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Asian (2025)97th percentile+23 vs school

White (2026)88th percentile+22 vs school

Female (2026)66th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)61st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)61st percentile-4 vs school

Homeless (2023)61st percentile-10 vs school

Male (2026)60th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)49th percentile-21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile-23 vs school

Hispanic (2026)39th percentile-26 vs school

Military Connected (2026)28th percentile-37 vs school

Special Education (2026)17th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy53%+4 vs state

Science42%+6 vs state

Mathematics30%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near San Marcos Senior High

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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 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
San Marcos Senior High	Public	9-12	4750 Hollister Ave.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-4581	1,926	91	21.1	58.0%	616 (32.0%)	9 (0.5%)	1,165 (60.5%)	47 (2.4%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	84 (4.4%)	63.4	746^th of 2137 public high schools	65.1%		72.2	559^th of 2162 public high schools	74.1%	187		43.2		42.4			53.4	53.4			30.5	30.5	$21,272	$20,128	$1,144
Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court	Public	5-12	4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-5307	31	3	10.2	90.3%	2 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (90.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.2%)	6.5	2115^th of 2137 public high schools	1.0%					(n/a)							0.0	0.0			0.0	0.0	$63,122	$55,166	$7,956
Santa Barbara County Regional Occupational Program-South	Public	9-12	4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd.	Santa Barbara	93160	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 967-4711	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Santa Barbara County Community	Public	5-12	4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd.	Santa Barbara	93160	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-5307	27	4	6.7	88.9%	1 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	0.0			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0	$69,428	$69,428	$00
Dos Pueblos Senior High	Public	9-12	7266 Alameda Ave.	Goleta	93117	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 968-2541	2,149	95	22.6	43.9%	895 (41.6%)	24 (1.1%)	908 (42.3%)	132 (6.1%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	181 (8.4%)	84.4	306^th of 2137 public high schools	85.7%		83.6	344^th of 2162 public high schools	84.1%	38		52.4	14.3	51.3			71.2	71.2			48.2	48.2	$20,647	$19,878	$769
La Cuesta Continuation High	Public	9-12	710 Santa Barbara St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 966-0883	77	9	8.4	89.6%	3 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (94.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	17.5	1699^th of 2137 public high schools	20.5%		7.4	2137^th of 2162 public high schools	1.2%	438		5.0	30.8	11.3			17.1	17.1			5.7	5.7	$78,215	$76,436	$1,779
Santa Barbara Senior High	Public	9-12	700 East Anapamu St.	Santa Barbara	93103	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 966-9101	1,924	99	19.4	61.7%	578 (30.0%)	11 (0.6%)	1,201 (62.4%)	32 (1.7%)	9 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	87 (4.5%)	52	994^th of 2137 public high schools	53.5%		42.7	1195^th of 2162 public high schools	44.7%	201		32.4	15.4	31.9			51.2	51.2			25.6	25.6	$23,604	$22,678	$926
Alta Vista Alternative High	Public, Virtual	9-12	215 East Ortega St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 966-0883	119	9	12.6	59.7%	35 (29.4%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (58.8%)	6 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.4%)	53.2	968^th of 2137 public high schools	54.7%		25.7	1576^th of 2162 public high schools	27.1%	608		36.0		33.3			51.9	51.9			23.1	23.1	$21,342	$20,804	$538
Carpinteria Senior High	Public	9-12	4810 Foothill Rd.	Carpinteria	93013	Santa Barbara County	Carpinteria Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 684-4107	593	33	18.2	65.3%	121 (20.4%)	2 (0.3%)	448 (75.5%)	12 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.3%)	37.6	1330^th of 2137 public high schools	37.8%		57.1	890^th of 2162 public high schools	58.8%	440		20.0		20.4			41.3	41.3			23.4	23.4	$24,317	$23,636	$681

Frequently Asked Questions about San Marcos Senior High

Is San Marcos Senior High a good school?

San Marcos Senior High ranks 746^th of 2137 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into San Marcos Senior High?

San Marcos Senior High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Adams Elementary
Elementary : Harding University Partnership
Elementary : Monroe Elementary
Middle : La Cumbre Junior High

What is the racial makeup of San Marcos Senior High?

Students at San Marcos Senior High are 60% Hispanic, 32% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is San Marcos Senior High in?

Santa Barbara Unified

How many students attend San Marcos Senior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,926 students attended San Marcos Senior High.

Rate San Marcos Senior High!

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.