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Joe Nightingale Elementary

Q: Is Joe Nightingale Elementary a good school?

Joe Nightingale Elementary ranks 1423 rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1423^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of California elementary schools

Summary

Joe Nightingale Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 695 students in Santa Maria, part of the Orcutt Union Elementary district, and it consistently ranks among the top schools in the area for academic performance.

The school stands out for its strong academic results, particularly in science, and its remarkable ability to support student success even as the number of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds has grown significantly. It has also made impressive strides in improving student attendance, which is now well below state averages. What's especially notable is how the school achieves these outcomes with efficient use of resources, spending less per student than many neighboring schools while delivering better results.

When compared to other local schools like Adam (William Laird) Elementary or Patterson Road Elementary in the Santa Maria-Bonita district, Joe Nightingale's proficiency rates are dramatically higher across all subjects. This creates a striking performance gap between districts, with Joe Nightingale serving as a model of effective instruction and student support that helps children thrive academically.

695

Students ?

26.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,501

Per pupil spending ?

66.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

255 Winter Rd.
Santa Maria, CA 93455-2643

(805) 938-8650

District: Orcutt Union Elementary

Students who attend Joe Nightingale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lakeview Junior High
High:	Ernest Righetti High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.2%

White:

21.3%

Two or more races:

10.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 57th percentile in 2013 → 76th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (56% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg42%

California avg41%

1,423^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Elementary Schools in the Orcutt Union Elementary

637^th of 1,543Orcutt Union Elementary 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	73.9	1423 of 5857	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	74.3	1400 of 5869	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	1260 of 5859	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.8	1697 of 5883	71.2%	★★★★☆
2019	63.9	1888 of 5789	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.6	1733 of 5662	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	73.6	1403 of 5692	75.4%	★★★★☆
2016	70.9	1490 of 5614	73.5%	★★★★☆
2015	70.3	1482 of 5611	73.6%	★★★★☆
2013	55.5	2383 of 5530	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.2	2143 of 5390	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	47.7	2743 of 5377	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.7	2531 of 5314	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.8	2031 of 5193	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.4	2088 of 5113	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.1	1823 of 5113	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	64.5	1562 of 4818	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	70.2	1323 of 4822	72.6%	★★★★☆
2004	72.7	1202 of 4809	75.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	53.2	736 of 2227	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.3	1372 of 2585	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.7	781 of 2128	63.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	64.8	681 of 3275	79.2%	★★★★☆
2018	92.8	132 of 3246	95.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.0	1460 of 5597	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	72.5	1381 of 5612	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	1148 of 5609	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	66.9	1646 of 5635	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	67.6	1626 of 5492	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	66.9	1668 of 5413	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.6	681 of 5107	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	80.6	700 of 5107	86.3%	★★★★☆
2023	82.2	644 of 5087	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	1070 of 5084	79.0%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	933 of 4963	81.2%	★★★★☆
2018	75.4	877 of 4830	81.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.2	856 of 5460	84.3%	★★★★☆
2024	70.6	1241 of 5517	77.5%	★★★★☆
2023	75.2	981 of 5363	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.6	1239 of 5264	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	68.0	1278 of 5173	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	74.4	958 of 5084	81.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.3	1318 of 5628	76.6%	★★★★☆
2024	73.1	1357 of 5643	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.0	1370 of 5638	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	66.6	1658 of 5663	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.6	2052 of 5510	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.3	1840 of 5431	66.1%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.3	19 of 153	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	76.2	21 of 118	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	76.4	24 of 140	82.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	25.3	362 of 445	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	1119 of 2847	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	725 of 2635	72.5%	★★★★☆
2023	65.3	556 of 2420	77.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.3	683 of 2598	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.7	789 of 2651	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	75.7	598 of 2661	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	66.3	943 of 2726	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.2	1697 of 2834	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.3	1068 of 2737	61.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Military Connected (2025)88th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)87th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)79th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)77th percentile~ school

Female (2025)74th percentile~ school

White (2025)74th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)67th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)61st percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)19th percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy59%+11 vs state

Science56%+23 vs state

Mathematics52%+15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Joe Nightingale Elementary

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 (2024)
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
Joe Nightingale Elementary	Public	K-6	255 Winter Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8650	695	26	26.7	66.9%	148 (21.3%)	7 (1.0%)	446 (64.2%)	18 (2.6%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	71 (10.2%)	73.9	1423^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	75.7%		74.3	1400^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.1%	23																													55.8		55.8	42.4	52.4	75.5	67.0			59.5	45.7	47.6	60.0	54.7			52.0							$10,501	$1,047	$9,454
Alice Shaw Elementary	Public	K-6	759 Dahlia Pl.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8850	530	21	24.6	76.4%	124 (23.4%)	4 (0.8%)	363 (68.5%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.2%)	35	3581^st of 5857 public elementary schools	38.9%		35.6	3477^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.8%	104																													18.1		18.1	33.3	41.8	36.1	42.7			38.6	42.4	32.8	23.6	25.7			30.8							$10,393	$1,246	$9,147
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	$19,468	$2,448	$17,020
Bill Libbon Elementary	Public	K-6	750 Meehan St.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6500	834	36	23.4	87.9%	46 (5.5%)	11 (1.3%)	735 (88.1%)	22 (2.6%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.8%)	23.8	4519^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.8%		21.3	4746^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.1%	227																													16.9		16.9	24.8	33.0	38.3	31.7			31.4	18.8	27.3	32.1	13.6			22.3	98.5		98.5		98.5		$21,759	$3,170	$18,589
Patterson Road Elementary	Public	K-6	400 Patterson Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8750	662	25	26.7	60.9%	188 (28.4%)	2 (0.3%)	378 (57.1%)	9 (1.4%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (11.9%)	46.2	2809^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.0%		55.4	2271^st of 5869 public elementary schools	61.3%	538																													30.5		30.5	19.1	42.9	43.4	61.9			41.6	23.6	36.4	42.5	45.2			37.1							$9,110	$813	$8,297
Battles (Washington) Elementary	Public	K-6	605 East Battles Rd.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6880	769	37	20.8	97.3%	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	748 (97.3%)	9 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.0%)	11.4	5546^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.3%		13.8	5405^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.9%	141																													12.9		12.9	22.5	20.4	24.4	19.1			21.5	20.2	9.0	8.7	5.3			10.6	98.2		98.2		98.2		$20,704	$2,491	$18,213
Ralph Dunlap Elementary	Public	K-6	1220 Oak Knoll Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8500	502	19	26.4	56.2%	170 (33.9%)	5 (1.0%)	264 (52.6%)	16 (3.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (8.8%)	35.1	3567^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.1%		35.2	3505^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.3%	62																													32.3		32.3	37.3	26.1	36.9	32.9			33.2	37.9	29.0	35.9	28.4			32.5							$9,541	$843	$8,698
Orcutt School for Independent Study	Public, Virtual	K-8	1220 Oak Knoll Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 960-5572	44	2	21.7	72.7%	14 (31.8%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (56.8%)	2 (4.5%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.5%)								(n/a)																														15.0	12.5					50.0	14.3	27.1					21.4	10.5	17.4							$9,596	$00	$9,596
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			$21,552	$2,950	$18,602
Adam (William Laird) Elementary	Public	K-6	500 West Windsor	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6700	874	36	24.6	96.8%	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	857 (98.1%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	13.8	5360^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.5%		14.2	5379^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.3%	19																													11.0		11.0	12.9	18.4	16.7	27.1			18.7	34.7	16.0	9.5	15.5			18.0							$20,492	$2,371	$18,121

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Nightingale Elementary

How many students attend Joe Nightingale Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 695 students attended Joe Nightingale Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Joe Nightingale Elementary?

Students at Joe Nightingale Elementary are 64% Hispanic, 21% White, 10% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What district is Joe Nightingale Elementary in?

Orcutt Union Elementary

What schools do graduates of Joe Nightingale Elementary attend?

Students who attend Joe Nightingale Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lakeview Junior High
High : Ernest Righetti High

Is Joe Nightingale Elementary a good school?

Joe Nightingale Elementary ranks 1423^rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Joe Nightingale Elementary!

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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.