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Orcutt School for Independent Study

Public, Virtual Grades K-8

Summary

Orcutt School for Independent Study is a small, non-traditional K-8 school in Santa Maria, California, serving just 44 students through an independent study model within the Orcutt Union Elementary district.

The school serves a vital role as an alternative option, but faces significant challenges, including an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 34.2%—more than double the district average—and academic proficiency rates in English, math, and science that are substantially below both district and state averages. Performance has been volatile year-to-year, with notable struggles in the upper grades, and the school operates with lower per-student spending than other schools in its district despite serving a population where over 72% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

When compared to nearby traditional schools in the same district, such as Joe Nightingale Elementary or Pine Grove Elementary, its academic outcomes are lower. However, the school's chronic absenteeism has shown consistent improvement from previous, even higher levels. The school shares its campus with Ralph Dunlap Elementary, presenting a stark contrast between the two educational models operating at the same location.

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

72.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2023 → 23rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2023

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg42%

California avg41%

2,131^st of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 20 pts since 2023

From bottom 42% (2023) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	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 (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy27%-22 vs state

Mathematics17%-20 vs state

Science12%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Orcutt School for Independent Study

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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)				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 (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	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
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
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							$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%)	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							$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%)	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							$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%)	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							$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%)	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							$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%)	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		$21,391	$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%)	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							$28,269	$26,596	$1,673
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	$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%)	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		$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 »

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.