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Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies

Public, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

2351^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Alternative Schools

Better than 15% of California alternative schools

Summary

Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies is a small, alternative public school serving 60 students in grades K-12 within the broader Santa Paula Unified district, which itself faces significant challenges in the state rankings.

The school serves a population with high economic need and faces substantial hurdles, particularly with chronic absenteeism—nearly 60% of students miss significant school, a rate triple the state average—and academic proficiency, where test scores in English, Math, and Science are significantly below both district and state averages. Despite these academic struggles, the school maintains an 87.5% graduation rate, matching the state average, suggesting it can keep students on track to graduate even while their skill development lags.

When compared to other alternative schools in the region, a wide spectrum of performance exists. Schools like Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education achieve very high academic results, while Valley Oak Charter shows similar challenges to Santa Paula. The school's high student-to-teacher ratio of over 31:1 is notable, especially when compared to nearby schools with more intensive support, such as Phoenix or Providence, which have much lower ratios.

Students ?

31.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$2,550

Per pupil spending ?

85%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 South Steckel Dr.
Santa Paula, CA 93060-3244

(805) 933-8880

District: Santa Paula Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.7%

White:

1.7%

Two or more races:

1.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 15th percentile in 2025 → 10th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (12% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (59% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg27%

California avg41%

Middle school

2,351^st of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 15%

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

1,950^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 10%

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1260^th of 1,543Santa Paula Unified among California districts

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)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)22nd percentile+7 vs school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)7th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy17%-32 vs state

Mathematics9%-29 vs state

Science8%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies

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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 Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th 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 11th 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 11th 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
Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	201 South Steckel Dr.	Santa Paula	93060	Ventura County	Santa Paula Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 933-8880	60	2	31.5	85.0%	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (96.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)								(n/a)		15.4	0.0	8.1						6.3	22.7	17.0						20.0	0.0	8.7							$2,550	$24	$2,526
Providence	Public, Alternative	K-12	4333 Vineyard Ave.	Oxnard	93036	Ventura County	Ventura County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 981-5800	35	6	5.4	91.4%	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				0.0							0.0	0.0							0.0	0.0
Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	777 Aileen St.	Camarillo	93010	Ventura County	Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 384-1415	590	25	23.6	18.5%	273 (46.3%)	5 (0.8%)	151 (25.6%)	83 (14.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	77 (13.1%)								(n/a)	78.8	87.1		83.1	71.2	87.7	87.9	86.4	82.8	91.9		84.7	72.7	75.4	81.8	84.9	75.0	83.9		78.3
Peak Prep Pleasant Valley	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	550 Temple Ave.	Camarillo	93010	Ventura County	Peak Prep Pleasant Valley District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(855) 900-7325	820	37	22.2	75.4%	187 (22.8%)	122 (14.9%)	374 (45.6%)	43 (5.2%)	19 (2.3%)	3 (0.4%)	71 (8.7%)								(n/a)	26.3	35.6	37.0	33.3	23.9	28.6	38.6	18.9	50.0	38.1	41.3	36.0	13.0	21.4	22.8	28.3	48.9	47.1	32.6	34.1	47.6	47.6	47.6	47.6	47.6	47.6
Phoenix	Public, Alternative	4-12	500 Airport Way	Camarillo	93010	Ventura County	Ventura County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 437-1400	76	11	6.6	63.2%	18 (23.7%)	4 (5.3%)	50 (65.8%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)								(n/a)				0.0							0.0	2.6							0.0	2.6
Heritage Valley Independent Study	Public, Alternative	K-12	615 Shiells Dr.	Fillmore	93015	Ventura County	Fillmore Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 524-6077	32	1	27.5	75.0%	2 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				13.3								21.4								10.7							$22,431	$17,412	$5,019
Ventura County Special Education	Public, Alternative	K-12	5189 Verdugo Way	Camarillo	93012	Ventura County	Ventura County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 383-1924	231	28	8.2	67.5%	51 (22.1%)	2 (0.9%)	158 (68.4%)	13 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)								(n/a)																					73.7	81.6		79.0	79.0	76.3
Triton Academy	Public, Alternative	3-12	5250 Adolfo Rd.	Camarillo	93012	Ventura County	Ventura County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 384-0205	84	11	7.4	58.3%	29 (34.5%)	2 (2.4%)	41 (48.8%)	5 (6.0%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (7.1%)								(n/a)				0.0							36.4	26.3							9.1	15.8
Summit	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	650 Carne Rd.	Ojai	93023	Ventura County	Ojai Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 640-4300	183	6	30.4	37.2%	133 (72.7%)	9 (4.9%)	22 (12.0%)	2 (1.1%)	3 (1.6%)	2 (1.1%)	10 (5.5%)								(n/a)	45.5		41.7	37.5			36.4	46.7	36.4		45.5	37.1			9.1	40.0	9.1			24.6
Golden Valley Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	3585 Maple St. Ste. 101	Ventura	93003	Ventura County	Golden Valley Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 642-3435	574	19	30.2	35.5%	285 (49.7%)	5 (0.9%)	192 (33.4%)	24 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (11.8%)								(n/a)	38.1	34.5	30.0	35.2	42.6	45.5	42.9	37.1	55.6	69.0	65.0	48.9	32.8	43.2	33.3	37.1	44.4	34.5	25.0	36.6	33.9	42.4	74.6	42.4	42.4	42.4

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies

What is the racial makeup of Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies?

Students at Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies are 97% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

Is Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies a good school?

Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies ranks in the bottom 14.8% of California alternative schools.

How many students attend Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies?

In the 2024-25 school year, 60 students attended Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies.

What district is Santa Paula Unified School District Independent Studies in?

Santa Paula Unified

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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.