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Bonita Elementary

Public Grades K-6

5548^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of California elementary schools

Summary

Bonita Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 535 students in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, operating in a high-need community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with proficiency rates in English and math (around 16%) that are the lowest among nearby schools and well below state averages; for example, Ontiveros Elementary in the same district has more than double the proficiency rates. Despite a substantial increase in per-student spending—now the highest among local schools at over $21,000—and a better-than-average student-teacher ratio, academic performance has declined over the past decade. A notable bright spot is the school's success in improving attendance, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 7.9% that is significantly better than the district and state, and even lower than schools like Fairlawn Elementary.

The school shows relative strength in supporting specific student groups, such as migrant students, and its attendance success demonstrates an important foundation. However, the fact that other schools with similar student demographics, like Sanchez Elementary, achieve stronger academic results suggests the challenges at Bonita may be school-specific. The disconnect between high investment, excellent attendance, and low academic achievement indicates a need to examine how instructional time and resources are being used to translate student presence into learning gains.

535

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,957

Per pupil spending ?

97.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2715 West Main St.
Santa Maria, CA 93458-9727

(805) 361-8290

District: Santa Maria-Bonita

Students who attend Bonita Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

El Camino Junior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.9%

White:

0.4%

American Indian:

0.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2013 → 5th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (15% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg20%

California avg41%

5,548^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 17Elementary Schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita

1409^th of 1,543Santa Maria-Bonita 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
2025	11.3	5548 of 5857	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	5504 of 5869	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	5585 of 5859	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	5675 of 5883	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	5208 of 5789	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.6	5286 of 5662	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	17.1	4940 of 5692	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.9	4968 of 5614	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.5	5321 of 5611	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	23.7	4479 of 5530	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.7	4472 of 5390	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.1	4794 of 5377	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	18.7	4661 of 5314	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	13.3	4838 of 5193	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	13.5	4746 of 5113	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	12.6	4796 of 5113	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	15.9	4293 of 4818	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	13.4	4434 of 4822	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	17.3	4176 of 4809	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	30.6	1762 of 2585	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.8	2267 of 3162	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	2334 of 3245	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	2624 of 3311	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.9	2788 of 3275	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	3006 of 3246	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.1	5368 of 5597	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	5568 of 5612	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	5139 of 5609	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	5328 of 5635	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	4896 of 5492	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	5210 of 5413	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.1	4748 of 5107	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	4677 of 5107	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	4765 of 5087	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	4849 of 5084	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	4364 of 4963	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	4427 of 4830	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	343 of 429	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	304 of 364	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	187 of 335	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	5072 of 5460	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	5035 of 5517	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	5018 of 5363	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	5009 of 5264	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.3	4472 of 5173	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	4573 of 5084	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	5224 of 5628	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	4790 of 5643	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	5430 of 5638	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	5482 of 5663	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.1	4975 of 5510	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.0	4890 of 5431	10.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	38 of 78	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	2385 of 2847	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Migrant (2025)51st percentile+46 vs school

Disabled (2019)32nd percentile+22 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)28th percentile+22 vs school

Homeless (2025)20th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2025)16th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy17%-32 vs state

Mathematics16%-21 vs state

Science4%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bonita Elementary

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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 (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
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
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
Mary Buren Elementary	Public	K-4	1050 Peralta St.	Guadalupe	93434	Santa Barbara County	Guadalupe Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 343-2411	738	39	18.9	90.1%	25 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	702 (95.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.7%)	10.9	5579^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.7%		12.8	5495^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.4%	84	12.8	7.5					10.1	51.3	20.0					35.4	18.0	20.0					19.0	7.7	5.0					6.3				19.8	20.6					20.2	17.9	12.3					14.8							$30,531	$27,332	$3,199
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
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
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
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
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
Lange (Dorothea) Elementary	Public	K-6	1661 Via Alta Mesa	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3670	577	26	22.4	67.2%	209 (36.2%)	0 (0.0%)	340 (58.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.3%)	46.7	2781^st of 5857 public elementary schools	52.5%		41.3	3102^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	47.1%	321																													23.5		23.5	49.4	44.7	40.2	43.9			44.4	54.3	40.0	23.5	38.3			38.3							$14,626	$11,834	$2,792
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Bonita Elementary

How many students attend Bonita Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended Bonita Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bonita Elementary?

Students at Bonita Elementary are 99% Hispanic.

What district is Bonita Elementary in?

Santa Maria-Bonita

Is Bonita Elementary a good school?

Bonita Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.3% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Bonita Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bonita Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : El Camino Junior High

Rate Bonita Elementary!

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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.