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Patterson Road Elementary

Q: Is Patterson Road Elementary a good school?

Patterson Road Elementary ranks 2809 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2809^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of California elementary schools

Summary

Patterson Road Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 660 students in Santa Maria, part of the Orcutt Union Elementary district, presenting a mixed academic picture with some notable strengths and challenges.

Academically, the school's overall test scores are slightly above the state average but have been trending downward in recent years, placing it in the middle of its own district where schools like Joe Nightingale Elementary and Pine Grove Elementary consistently rank higher. A significant strength is its exceptional program for Special Education students, whose performance ranks among the top in the state. However, the school shows dramatic variation between grades, with sixth graders excelling—particularly in English—while third graders struggle significantly, suggesting uneven instructional support across grade levels.

The school serves a student population with high economic need and operates with less funding per student and larger class sizes than several nearby schools, including those in the neighboring Santa Maria-Bonita district. Despite these resource constraints, Patterson Road achieves comparable or better results than some higher-funded schools, indicating efficient use of its budget. Key areas for attention include addressing high chronic absenteeism and improving support for its many economically disadvantaged students, building on the successful models it uses for its Special Education and upper-grade students.

662

Students ?

26.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,110

Per pupil spending ?

60.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 Patterson Rd.
Santa Maria, CA 93455-4806

(805) 938-8750

District: Orcutt Union Elementary

Students who attend Patterson Road Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Orcutt Junior High
High:	Ernest Righetti High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.1%

White:

28.4%

Two or more races:

11.9%

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Compare Patterson Road Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 66th percentile in 2022 → 52nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 66th-percentile peak (2022) to 52nd (2025)

!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 school38%

District avg42%

California avg41%

2,809^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	46.2	2809 of 5857	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.4	2271 of 5869	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.7	2198 of 5859	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	1994 of 5883	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.5	2230 of 5789	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.0	2658 of 5662	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	46.2	2748 of 5692	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.6	2507 of 5614	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	42.6	2872 of 5611	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.4	3048 of 5530	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.5	2709 of 5390	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	43.1	3015 of 5377	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.1	2747 of 5314	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.0	1823 of 5193	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.5	2201 of 5113	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	55.1	2055 of 5113	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.6	1984 of 4818	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.8	1346 of 4822	72.1%	★★★★☆
2004	65.5	1465 of 4809	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	34.0	1308 of 2227	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	1170 of 2585	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	863 of 2128	59.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	63.7	712 of 3275	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	54.1	1065 of 3246	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	2704 of 5597	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	2154 of 5612	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	2112 of 5609	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.3	2301 of 5635	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.7	2130 of 5492	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.5	2464 of 5413	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	2772 of 5107	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.8	2081 of 5107	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.1	1662 of 5087	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.9	1524 of 5084	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	50.4	2263 of 4963	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.8	2687 of 4830	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	2950 of 5460	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	2786 of 5517	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.8	2852 of 5363	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.3	2021 of 5264	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.9	3138 of 5173	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	3169 of 5084	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.7	2759 of 5628	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	2261 of 5643	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	2148 of 5638	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.6	1702 of 5663	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.4	2174 of 5510	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.2	2666 of 5431	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	53.5	55 of 130	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	546 of 718	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	517 of 670	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.5	450 of 669	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.0	452 of 610	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	847 of 2847	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	87.1	228 of 2635	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	57.0	731 of 2420	69.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.2	1795 of 2598	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	1514 of 2651	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	1628 of 2661	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.2	1422 of 2726	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.2	1541 of 2834	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.7	1930 of 2737	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2019)78th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2025)70th percentile+18 vs school

Military Connected (2022)58th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2025)52nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)51st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)41st percentile-25 vs school

White (2025)31st percentile-21 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)24th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics37%~ state avg

Science30%~ state avg

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 17, 2016

Over crowded classes and over worked teachers. Over all teachers angry at district and don't want extra students enrolled in their schools. Close Quote

Schools Near Patterson Road 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
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
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
Pine Grove Elementary	Public	K-6	1050 East Rice Ranch Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8800	569	22	25.8	58.7%	187 (32.9%)	6 (1.1%)	298 (52.4%)	16 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (10.7%)	65.5	1820^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.9%		68.8	1649^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.9%	171																													41.5		41.5	44.8	44.3	48.4	60.3			49.3	44.8	59.5	48.9	62.0			53.4							$9,309	$511	$8,798
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
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
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
Arellanes (Don Juan Bautista) Elementary	Public	K-6	1890 Sandalwood Dr.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6860	298	17	17.0	95.3%	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	291 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29	4038^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.1%		33	3692^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	37.1%	346																													30.6		30.6	12.8	23.8	41.7	41.5			29.8	28.2	19.1	19.4	36.6			26.0							$24,204	$3,061	$21,143
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Patterson Road Elementary

What schools do graduates of Patterson Road Elementary attend?

Students who attend Patterson Road Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Orcutt Junior High
High : Ernest Righetti High

What is the racial makeup of Patterson Road Elementary?

Students at Patterson Road Elementary are 57% Hispanic, 28% White, 12% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Patterson Road Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 662 students attended Patterson Road Elementary.

Is Patterson Road Elementary a good school?

Patterson Road Elementary ranks 2809^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Patterson Road Elementary in?

Orcutt Union 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.