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Orcutt School for Independent Study

Public, Virtual Grades K-8

Summary

Orcutt School for Independent Study in Santa Maria, California, serves 44 students in kindergarten through eighth grade in the Orcutt Union Elementary School District. It is much smaller than nearby schools, which enroll 298 to 1,177 students. Its clearest academic concern is math: in 2025–2026, its 12% proficiency rate was the lowest among the ten nearby schools.

Compared with nearby schools, the school’s results are mixed: its ELA proficiency was 29%, below their 34% average, while its math result was 17 percentage points below their 29% average. Science is a relative bright spot: the school’s 26% proficiency was 2 points above the nearby average of 24%, and higher than seven of the ten schools. Still, its results were below district and state levels in all three subjects. In math, for example, the school’s 12% compared with 40% in the district and 38% statewide; in science, its 26% compared with 42% in the district and 36% statewide.

Attendance has improved substantially, but remains a concern: chronic absenteeism fell from 63% in 2021–2022 to 27% in 2025–2026, yet the latest rate was 14 points above the district and 9 points above the state, and higher than nearby schools’ rates of 9.1% to 18.1%. Over the same four-year period, ELA fell by 5 percentage points and math by 9, while science was nearly unchanged; the school’s gap with the state widened in all three subjects. For context, its 21.7:1 student-teacher ratio in 2024–2025 was below the nearby average of 23.7:1. The school reported 73% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025, compared with a nearby average of 77%; California is identified in the data as a statewide-free-meals state, so this is context rather than a measure of access to free meals. SchoolDigger rates the district 3 stars and at the 60th percentile; no SchoolDigger rank or star rating for the school itself was supplied.

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

72.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

Not published

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

1220 Oak Knoll Rd.
Santa Maria, CA 93455-4301

(805) 960-5572

District: Orcutt Union Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.8%

White:

31.8%

Asian:

4.5%

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Compare Orcutt School for Independent Study to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2023 → 34th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (22% vs 42% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 18% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2023

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg44%

California avg42%

1,783^rd of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 8 pts since 2023

From bottom 42% (2023) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

389^th of 968Orcutt 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
2026	30.6	1783 of 2703	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.5	2131 of 2761	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.6	1288 of 2783	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.6	1604 of 2781	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	2277 of 2533	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	1568 of 2531	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	2189 of 2395	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	37.1	1362 of 2374	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	2372 of 2542	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	1585 of 2531	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)10th percentile-13 vs school

Hispanic (2025)9th percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy29%-20 vs state

Science26%-10 vs state

Mathematics12%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Orcutt School for Independent Study

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Ranking:

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Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)							CSA Spanish Listening (2026)							CSA Spanish Writing (2026)							CSA Spanish Reading (2026)							CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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)																														31.6	26.1						33.3	29.3						16.7	12.2
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%)	29.1	4061^st of 5804 public elementary schools	30.0%		35.1	3567^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.1%	494																													23.2		23.2	35.6	32.0	33.3	35.5			34.0	28.8	29.3	24.6	29.0			27.9	≥ 98%		$28,985	$18,678	$10,307
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%)	72	1486^th of 5804 public elementary schools	74.4%		65.5	1820^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.9%	334																													50.0		50.0	44.8	54.1	51.3	64.5			54.5	49.3	56.5	50.0	60.2			54.5	≥ 99%		$29,276	$20,108	$9,168
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%)	38.6	3319^th of 5804 public elementary schools	42.8%		46.2	2809^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.0%	510																													33.8		33.8	37.8	33.3	34.7	50.5			39.7	26.5	21.1	28.0	43.0			30.3	≥ 99%		$26,722	$18,672	$8,050
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%)	42.7	3060^th of 5804 public elementary schools	47.3%		35	3581^st of 5857 public elementary schools	38.9%	521																													25.7		25.7	44.8	31.7	38.6	48.0			41.0	51.7	35.0	22.9	39.7			36.8	97%	0%	$30,732	$20,232	$10,500
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%)	60.2	2066^th of 5804 public elementary schools	64.4%		73.9	1423^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	75.7%	643																													35.4		35.4	37.9	47.5	47.9	62.1			48.6	43.6	49.0	46.2	59.0			49.4	97%	0%	$28,770	$20,946	$7,824
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%)	16.8	5077^th of 5804 public elementary schools	12.5%		23.8	4519^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.8%	558																													9.7		9.7	25.0	24.3	25.2	34.3			26.7	17.7	28.0	15.4	12.2			18.9	97%	0%	$21,391	$19,304	$2,087
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%)	18.5	4927^th of 5804 public elementary schools	15.1%		29	4038^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.1%	889																													10.3		10.3	22.0	13.5	18.0	52.9			25.8	19.1	18.9	5.1	29.4			17.8	≥ 98%		$28,269	$26,596	$1,673
Jimenez Roberto and Dr. Francisco Elementary	Public	K-8	1970 South Biscayne St.	Santa Maria	93454	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%)	25.5	4327^th of 5804 public elementary schools	25.4%		23.5	4550^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.3%	223	3.5	10.5	1.8	4.4	8.0	10.6	6.4	38.6	12.3	23.2	15.6	22.0	25.5	23.1	5.3	24.6	5.4	11.1	24.0	10.6	13.5	0.0	15.8	3.6	4.4	8.0	10.6	7.1	13.6	24.8	19.0	23.1	28.5	26.6	47.8	43.0	45.3	35.5	33.3	31.7	18.4	24.8	20.0	28.2	26.0	98%	0%	$16,888	$15,152	$1,736
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%)	12.9	5391^st of 5804 public elementary schools	7.1%		11.4	5546^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.3%	155																													17.2		17.2	21.7	13.4	19.8	24.7			19.7	30.9	12.0	8.1	10.3			15.7	97%	0%	$21,634	$19,922	$1,712

Frequently Asked Questions about Orcutt School for Independent Study

How many students attend Orcutt School for Independent Study?

In the 2024-25 school year, 44 students attended Orcutt School for Independent Study.

What is the racial makeup of Orcutt School for Independent Study?

Students at Orcutt School for Independent Study are 57% Hispanic, 32% White, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What district is Orcutt School for Independent Study in?

Orcutt Union Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

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.