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Rice (William) Elementary

Public Grades K-6

5567^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of California elementary schools

Summary

William Rice Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 887 students in Santa Maria, California, within the larger Santa Maria-Bonita School District, but it faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 5% of all California elementary schools with proficiency rates well below state averages.

The school's performance is notably lower than most nearby schools serving similar student populations; for example, its math proficiency (14.38%) is lower than nine out of ten comparable schools, and its science proficiency (5.08%) is the lowest among them. While chronic absenteeism has improved from a post-pandemic spike, its current rate remains higher than the district average and several peers like Sanchez (David J.) Elementary and Alvin Elementary. A striking difference is in resources, as Rice spends about $12,075 per student, which is substantially less than surrounding schools such as Taylor (Ida Redmond) Elementary (over $21,000 per student).

Despite a steady academic decline over the past decade, the contrast with a school like Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary—which achieves much higher results within the same district and with similar demographics—indicates that improvement is possible. The data suggests that addressing resource disparities and learning from higher-performing schools in the district could be key to supporting the students at William Rice Elementary.

887

Students ?

21.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,406

Per pupil spending ?

95.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

700 East Vickie Ave.
Santa Maria, CA 93454-2236

(805) 361-7740

District: Santa Maria-Bonita

Students who attend Rice (William) Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fesler (Isaac) Junior High
High:	Pioneer Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.5%

White:

1.8%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Rice (William) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 13th 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 8 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg20%

California avg41%

5,567^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^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	11.0	5567 of 5857	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	5480 of 5869	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	5380 of 5859	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	5599 of 5883	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	4155 of 5789	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.5	3249 of 5662	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	24.6	4292 of 5692	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.6	4465 of 5614	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.8	4750 of 5611	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.0	4803 of 5530	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.4	4823 of 5390	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.3	4837 of 5377	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.0	4460 of 5314	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.7	3388 of 5193	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	42.6	2809 of 5113	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	27.3	3752 of 5113	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	35.8	2950 of 4818	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	23.3	3744 of 4822	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	21.5	3835 of 4809	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	16.8	2208 of 2227	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	39.3	1338 of 2585	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	804 of 2128	62.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.4	2525 of 3162	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	2254 of 3245	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	2570 of 3311	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.0	2785 of 3275	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	2266 of 3246	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	5336 of 5597	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	5205 of 5612	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.8	5066 of 5609	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	5126 of 5635	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.4	3465 of 5492	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.4	2924 of 5413	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	4794 of 5107	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	4639 of 5107	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	4645 of 5087	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	4818 of 5084	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.3	3365 of 4963	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.3	2331 of 4830	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	349 of 429	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.2	238 of 364	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	226 of 335	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.9	282 of 356	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	5150 of 5460	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	5020 of 5517	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	4833 of 5363	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	5023 of 5264	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.1	3342 of 5173	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.9	2238 of 5084	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	5325 of 5628	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	5247 of 5643	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	5225 of 5638	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	5518 of 5663	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.3	4538 of 5510	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	3387 of 5431	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.2	2634 of 2847	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	2307 of 2635	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.4	2407 of 2420	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)20th percentile+14 vs school

Homeless (2025)19th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2025)7th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy18%-31 vs state

Mathematics14%-23 vs state

Science5%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rice (William) 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)				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	CAST Science 5th 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 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 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
Rice (William) Elementary	Public	K-6	700 East Vickie Ave.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7740	887	40	21.9	95.2%	16 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	847 (95.5%)	3 (0.3%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.6%)	11	5567^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.0%		13	5480^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.6%	87	5.1	5.1	19.7	13.0	13.8	25.6	18.1	24.1	13.4	6.8	13.3	14.4							$21,406	$19,548	$1,858
Alvin Elementary	Public	K-6	301 East Alvin Ave.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6760	998	41	24.2	97.6%	12 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	973 (97.5%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	12	5502^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	6.1%		14.8	5322^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	180	12.8	12.8	17.2	17.4	22.2	15.9	18.1	22.3	16.4	16.7	6.7	15.6	97.2						$19,564	$17,888	$1,676
Taylor (Ida Redmond) Elementary	Public	K-6	1921 North Carlotti Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6250	849	45	19.0	85.7%	36 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	762 (89.8%)	33 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	12 (1.4%)	17.3	5074^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.4%		18.2	5009^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.7%	65	12.4	12.4	17.2	26.3	20.7	30.3	24.3	19.0	21.6	10.7	24.1	19.0	98.3			98.3		98.3	$23,943	$21,272	$2,671
Tunnell (Martin Luther) Elementary	Public	K-6	1248 East Dena Way	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7940	917	42	21.6	84.2%	56 (6.1%)	2 (0.2%)	819 (89.3%)	18 (2.0%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (1.9%)	17.2	5077^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.3%		21.8	4701^st of 5869 public elementary schools	19.9%	376	17.7	17.7	27.6	18.4	26.7	19.3	23.3	30.3	15.0	14.0	17.7	19.2	92.3	94.4		93.7	96.5	96.5	$19,170	$17,446	$1,724
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
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
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
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
Miller (Isaac) Elementary	Public	K-6	410 East Camino Colegio	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7560	883	40	21.8	94.5%	20 (2.3%)	2 (0.2%)	839 (95.0%)	5 (0.6%)	7 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	8 (0.9%)	16	5179^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.6%		18	5030^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.3%	149	12.4	12.4	24.1	22.0	26.8	22.9	24.0	27.4	21.6	11.5	14.4	19.0							$20,246	$18,608	$1,638
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Rice (William) Elementary

What schools do graduates of Rice (William) Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rice (William) Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fesler (Isaac) Junior High
High : Pioneer Valley High

What district is Rice (William) Elementary in?

Santa Maria-Bonita

Is Rice (William) Elementary a good school?

Rice (William) Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.0% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Rice (William) Elementary?

Students at Rice (William) Elementary are 95% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Rice (William) Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 887 students attended Rice (William) Elementary.

Rate Rice (William) 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.