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Nipomo High

Q: Is Nipomo High a good school?

Nipomo High ranks 785 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

785^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 64% of California high schools

Summary

Nipomo High is a public high school serving about 819 students in grades 9-12 within the Lucia Mar Unified School District, presenting a profile of significant strengths alongside a clear area for growth.

The school excels at supporting students to graduation, with a 96.4% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate that outperform both the district and state, and it achieves strong English Language Arts proficiency at 67.71%. However, it faces a substantial challenge in mathematics, where proficiency is 19.79%, a rate notably lower than nearby schools like Arroyo Grande High (36.55%) and the highly-rated Central Coast New Technical High (53.16%) in the same district. Chronic absenteeism is also higher than the state average.

With 70% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Nipomo High serves a community with greater economic needs than some neighbors, yet it spends more per student than most. The school has shown impressive recent improvement for special education students and maintains a better-than-average student-teacher ratio of 19:1. While its overall 3-star rating is stable, the stark contrast between its graduation success and math performance indicates effective student support systems but points to mathematics instruction as a critical focus for the school and Lucia Mar Unified district leadership.

819

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,372

Per pupil spending ?

70.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

525 North Thompson Rd.
Nipomo, CA 93444-9086

(805) 474-3300

District: Lucia Mar Unified

Feeder schools for Nipomo High:

Elementary:	Dana Elementary
	Fairgrove Elementary
	Lange (Dorothea) Elementary
	Nipomo Elementary
Middle:	Mesa Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.2%

White:

27.5%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Nipomo High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 46th percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 64th (2025) from a 46th-percentile low (2016)

✓Above the California median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Mathematics scores 18 pts below the California average

!Near the bottom of Lucia Mar Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg45%

California avg41%

785^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High Schools in the Lucia Mar Unified

582^nd of 1,543Lucia Mar 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
2025	61.4	785 of 2162	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	1002 of 2159	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	917 of 2170	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.5	982 of 2123	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	826 of 2133	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.5	852 of 2017	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.0	670 of 2021	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	45.5	1098 of 2039	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	46.0	1055 of 1994	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	62.0	487 of 2426	79.9%	★★★★☆
2012	71.9	265 of 2354	88.7%	★★★★☆
2011	76.1	188 of 2367	92.1%	★★★★★
2010	75.6	192 of 2281	91.6%	★★★★★
2009	75.2	187 of 2238	91.6%	★★★★★
2008	69.9	273 of 2117	87.1%	★★★★☆
2007	81.5	104 of 2063	95.0%	★★★★★
2006	63.9	388 of 1968	80.3%	★★★★☆
2005	67.1	298 of 1901	84.3%	★★★★☆
2004	68.0	221 of 1653	86.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	35.8	667 of 1161	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.3	364 of 1117	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.4	255 of 1052	75.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	36.2	677 of 1085	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.7	304 of 1064	71.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.7	787 of 1906	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	855 of 1915	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.2	1080 of 1915	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.7	872 of 1858	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.4	792 of 1833	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.7	914 of 1760	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	893 of 1900	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.3	1001 of 1902	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.4	969 of 1917	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.9	932 of 1861	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.1	817 of 1814	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.5	963 of 1742	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	187 of 410	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.7	158 of 328	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.3	86 of 299	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	49.9	133 of 290	54.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.5	846 of 2013	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.4	960 of 2026	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	1027 of 2030	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.2	981 of 1943	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.9	705 of 1937	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.3	932 of 1862	49.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	679 of 1942	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.6	1065 of 1948	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.2	689 of 1963	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.1	973 of 1916	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.0	762 of 1880	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.2	730 of 1834	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.1	287 of 1252	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	35.8	699 of 1216	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.0	1120 of 1197	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	426 of 1155	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.6	597 of 1173	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.1	550 of 1193	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.9	704 of 1204	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.4	561 of 1222	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.2	400 of 1173	65.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)77th percentile+13 vs school

Male (2025)65th percentile~ school

White (2025)63rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)59th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)58th percentile-6 vs school

Homeless (2025)54th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)53rd percentile-11 vs school

Disabled (2022)43rd percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)38th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy68%+19 vs state

Science33%~ state avg

Mathematics20%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nipomo 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	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
Nipomo High	Public	9-12	525 North Thompson Rd.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3300	819	43	19.0	70.2%	225 (27.5%)	5 (0.6%)	542 (66.2%)	10 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.8%)	61.4	785^th of 2162 public high schools	63.7%		49.7	1002^nd of 2159 public high schools	53.6%	217	34.0		33.3	67.7	67.7	19.8	19.8	$19,372	$16,590	$2,782
Central Coast New Technical High	Public	9-12	523 North Thompson Ave.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3350	318	17	19.1	50.3%	160 (50.3%)	2 (0.6%)	123 (38.7%)	7 (2.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.0%)	92.9	150^th of 2162 public high schools	93.1%		95.6	99^th of 2159 public high schools	95.4%	51	62.8		62.8	77.2	77.2	53.2	53.2	$19,079	$16,452	$2,627
Lopez Continuation High	Public	10-12	1055 Mesa View Dr.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3750	96	9	10.9	77.1%	27 (28.1%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (65.6%)	2 (2.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	11.2	1959^th of 2162 public high schools	9.4%		19.1	1716^th of 2159 public high schools	20.5%	243	0.0		0.0	15.2	15.2	4.6	4.6	$28,736	$24,444	$4,292
Arroyo Grande High	Public	9-12	495 Valley Rd.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3200	2,012	96	20.9	47.2%	966 (48.0%)	11 (0.5%)	845 (42.0%)	60 (3.0%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	115 (5.7%)	79.9	414^th of 2162 public high schools	80.9%		74.4	488^th of 2159 public high schools	77.4%	74	47.5	9.1	46.6	69.8	69.8	36.6	36.6	$15,413	$12,818	$2,595
Santa Maria High	Public	9-12	901 South Broadway	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 925-2567	3,143	144	21.9	76.1%	39 (1.2%)	6 (0.2%)	3,057 (97.3%)	29 (0.9%)	4 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.1%)	40.3	1251^st of 2162 public high schools	42.1%		38.7	1277^th of 2159 public high schools	40.9%	26	24.0		23.8	44.5	44.5	15.7	15.7	$27,920	$26,640	$1,280
Pioneer Valley High	Public	9-12	675 Panther Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 922-1305	3,080	140	22.0	71.9%	70 (2.3%)	13 (0.4%)	2,893 (93.9%)	87 (2.8%)	4 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	8 (0.3%)	47.2	1092^nd of 2162 public high schools	49.5%		52.1	952^nd of 2159 public high schools	55.9%	140	24.2	23.5	24.2	50.2	50.2	21.3	21.3	$26,979	$25,752	$1,227
Ernest Righetti High	Public	9-12	941 East Foster Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 937-2051	2,416	115	21.0	55.5%	424 (17.5%)	32 (1.3%)	1,815 (75.1%)	78 (3.2%)	17 (0.7%)	6 (0.2%)	34 (1.4%)	58	877^th of 2162 public high schools	59.4%		62.4	711^th of 2159 public high schools	67.1%	166	31.1	13.3	30.6	60.5	60.5	22.6	22.6	$29,708	$28,504	$1,204
Delta High	Public	9-12	4893 Bethany Ln.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 937-6356	291	14	20.7	78.7%	11 (3.8%)	2 (0.7%)	274 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10.9	1974^th of 2162 public high schools	8.7%		10.6	2033^rd of 2159 public high schools	5.8%	59	3.3		3.7	17.0	17.0	1.1	1.1	$33,469	$32,788	$681
Pacific Beach High	Public	10-12	11950 Los Osos Valley Rd.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4023	62	4	14.6	74.2%	23 (37.1%)	1 (1.6%)	32 (51.6%)	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.8%)	8.1	2112^th of 2162 public high schools	2.3%		11.3	1982^nd of 2159 public high schools	8.2%	130	0.0		0.0	9.4	9.4	0.0	0.0	$36,940	$36,138	$802
San Luis Obispo High	Public	9-12	1499 San Luis Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4040	1,678	78	21.5	39.0%	941 (56.1%)	18 (1.1%)	521 (31.0%)	72 (4.3%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	107 (6.4%)	87.2	260^th of 2162 public high schools	88.0%		89.9	232^nd of 2159 public high schools	89.3%	28	55.0	25.0	53.8	67.2	67.2	50.9	50.9	$19,810	$18,796	$1,014

Frequently Asked Questions about Nipomo High

What schools feed into Nipomo High?

Nipomo High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Dana Elementary
Elementary : Fairgrove Elementary
Elementary : Lange (Dorothea) Elementary
Elementary : Nipomo Elementary
Middle : Mesa Middle

Is Nipomo High a good school?

Nipomo High ranks 785^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Nipomo High?

Students at Nipomo High are 66% Hispanic, 27% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Nipomo High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 819 students attended Nipomo High.

What district is Nipomo High in?

Lucia Mar 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.