Is Santa Maria High a good school?

Santa Maria High ranks 1527 th of 2125 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Santa Maria High?

In the 2021-22 school year, 3,186 students attended Santa Maria High.

What is the racial makeup of Santa Maria High?

Students at Santa Maria High are 96% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into Santa Maria High?

Santa Maria High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Adam (William Laird) Elementary Elementary : Battles (Washington) Elementary Elementary : Fairlawn Elementary Elementary : Liberty Elementary Elementary : Sanchez (David J.) Elementary Middle : Arellanes Junior High Middle : Fesler (Isaac) Junior High

Santa Maria High

Public 9-12

901 S. BRd.way
Santa Maria, CA 93454-6603

(805) 925-2567

District: Santa Maria Joint Union High

SchoolDigger Rank:
1527^th of 2,125 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,635

Feeder schools for Santa Maria High:

Elementary:	Adam (William Laird) Elementary
	Battles (Washington) Elementary
	Fairlawn Elementary
	Liberty Elementary
	More...
	Sanchez (David J.) Elementary
Middle:	Arellanes Junior High
	Fesler (Isaac) Junior High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.8

Number of students: 3,186

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.9%

White:

1.9%

Asian:

1.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 73.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Santa Maria High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Santa Maria High ranks worse than 71.9% of high schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 4 ranked high schools in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2022 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.36. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Santa Maria High has the largest high school student body size in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (95.9%), White (1.9%), Asian (1.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 73.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Santa Maria High is 21.8, which is the 2^nd best among 4 high schools in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. (See more...)

Compare Santa Maria High employs 146.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Santa Maria High is $9,635. 2 high schools in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2022 Rankings:

Santa Maria High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Maria High 1527^th of 2125 California public high schools. (See Santa Maria High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Santa Maria Joint Union High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Maria Joint Union High 1104^th of 2062 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Santa Maria High

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Rank History for all students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	28.17	979^th	1653	40.8%
2005	31.94	996^th	1901	47.6%
2006	31.69	1049^th	1968	46.7%
2007	33.81	1046^th	2063	49.3%
2008	44.71	801^st	2117	62.2%
2009	48.39	785^th	2238	64.9%
2010	43.95	919^th	2281	59.7%
2011	50.60	785^th	2367	66.8%
2012	49.09	821^st	2354	65.1%
2013	53.54	691^st	2426	71.5%
2015	32.48	1306^th	1994	34.5%
2016	43.78	1128^th	2039	44.7%
2017	44.48	1141^st	2021	43.5%
2018	49.00	1033^rd	2017	48.8%
2019	33.26	1373^rd	2133	35.6%
2022	25.36	1525^th	2123	28.2%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.02	578^th	938	38.4%
2019	38.70	489^th	941	48.0%
2022	30.06	819^th	1044	21.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	57.10	787^th	1862	57.7%
2019	37.74	1214^th	1937	37.3%
2022	29.95	1358^th	1943	30.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	34.78	189^th	290	34.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	48.44	935^th	1760	46.9%
2019	30.56	1264^th	1833	31.0%
2022	22.08	1450^th	1858	22.0%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.93	964^th	1052	8.4%
2019	19.20	1036^th	1117	7.3%
2022	23.74	1015^th	1161	12.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	43.03	1053^rd	1834	42.6%
2019	31.32	1255^th	1880	33.2%
2022	25.56	1394^th	1916	27.2%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	59.00	713^th	1742	59.1%
2019	39.15	1106^th	1814	39.0%
2022	30.52	1301^st	1861	30.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Santa Maria High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	13.20	1059^th	1204	12.0%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Santa Maria High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	828	65	158	855	21	n/a	n/a	0	1927
1989	753	82	151	952	20	n/a	n/a	0	1958
1990	705	63	155	1048	28	n/a	n/a	0	1999
1991	738	72	167	1334	20	n/a	n/a	0	2331
1992	666	65	166	1482	29	n/a	n/a	0	2408
1993	646	71	171	1567	26	n/a	n/a	0	2481
1994	598	79	172	1627	29	n/a	n/a	0	2505
1995	538	49	201	1941	29	n/a	n/a	0	2758
1996	538	49	201	1941	29	n/a	n/a	0	2758
1997	509	59	194	2164	20	n/a	n/a	0	2946
1998	483	69	211	2329	19	n/a	n/a	0	3111
1999	437	66	193	2397	17	n/a	n/a	1	3111
2000	469	93	186	2477	20	n/a	n/a	0	3245
2001	474	71	197	2537	16	n/a	n/a	3	3298
2002	503	13	258	2797	17	n/a	n/a	20	3608
2003	503	13	258	2797	17	n/a	n/a	20	3608
2004	491	79	212	2969	18	n/a	n/a	34	3803
2005	337	66	136	2323	13	n/a	n/a	20	2895
2006	227	58	100	2043	12	n/a	n/a	58	2498
2007	151	45	75	1887	7	n/a	n/a	86	2251
2008	151	34	79	1993	5	n/a	n/a	0	2262
2009	122	29	84	2077	3	0	137	0	2452
2010	97	18	77	2200	4	0	46	0	2442
2011	83	15	68	2163	7	0	33	0	2369
2012	73	9	65	2103	7	0	25	0	2282
2013	77	12	62	2124	4	0	21	0	2300
2014	67	17	59	2181	2	0	16	0	2342
2015	78	18	53	2403	3	2	12	0	2569
2016	86	15	42	2536	4	1	11	0	2695
2017	66	12	37	2462	4	1	9	0	2591
2018	54	10	44	2494	5	1	10	0	2618
2019	46	13	42	2604	4	2	9	0	2720
2020	61	11	40	2754	11	2	18	0	2897
2021	55	7	36	2956	13	2	11	1	3081
2022	59	8	38	3055	13	2	9	2	3186

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Santa Maria High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1927	76.8	25.0	n/a
1989	1958	75.9	25.7	n/a
1990	1999	81.8	24.4	n/a
1991	2331	85.3	27.3	n/a
1992	2408	86.7	27.7	18.1
1993	2481	95.4	26.0	21.8
1994	2505	96.6	25.9	24.4
1995	2758	98.9	27.9	28.1
1996	2758	98.9	27.9	28.1
1997	2946	105.1	28.0	29
1998	3111	112.5	27.7	23.2
1999	3111	115.2	27.0	25.4
2000	3245	120.8	26.9	36
2001	3298	126.4	26.1	34.5
2002	3608	137.8	26.2	31.8
2003	3608	137.8	26.2	31.8
2004	3803	146.9	25.9	37
2005	2895	111.8	25.9	45.4
2006	2498	98.2	25.4	54
2007	2251	89.7	25.1	65.5
2008	2262	103.3	21.9	67
2009	2452	101.7	20.9	25.7
2010	2442	109.5	22.3	64.7
2011	2369	n/a	n/a	73.8
2012	2282	109.8	20.7	n/a
2013	2300	109.1	21.0	78
2014	2342	111.8	20.9	89.8
2015	2569	130.0	19.7	77.7
2016	2695	133.0	20.2	85.5
2017	2591	115.5	22.4	82.3
2018	2618	114.8	22.8	86.2
2019	2720	122.8	22.1	84.4
2020	2897	n/a	n/a	83.8
2021	3081	136.9	22.5	78.6
2022	3186	146.1	21.8	73.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Santa Maria High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1927	76.8	25.0	n/a
1989	1958	75.9	25.7	n/a
1990	1999	81.8	24.4	n/a
1991	2331	85.3	27.3	n/a
1992	2408	86.7	27.7	18.1
1993	2481	95.4	26.0	21.8
1994	2505	96.6	25.9	24.4
1995	2758	98.9	27.9	28.1
1996	2758	98.9	27.9	28.1
1997	2946	105.1	28.0	29
1998	3111	112.5	27.7	23.2
1999	3111	115.2	27.0	25.4
2000	3245	120.8	26.9	36
2001	3298	126.4	26.1	34.5
2002	3608	137.8	26.2	31.8
2003	3608	137.8	26.2	31.8
2004	3803	146.9	25.9	37
2005	2895	111.8	25.9	45.4
2006	2498	98.2	25.4	54
2007	2251	89.7	25.1	65.5
2008	2262	103.3	21.9	67
2009	2452	101.7	20.9	25.7
2010	2442	109.5	22.3	64.7
2011	2369	n/a	n/a	73.8
2012	2282	109.8	20.7	n/a
2013	2300	109.1	21.0	78
2014	2342	111.8	20.9	89.8
2015	2569	130.0	19.7	77.7
2016	2695	133.0	20.2	85.5
2017	2591	115.5	22.4	82.3
2018	2618	114.8	22.8	86.2
2019	2720	122.8	22.1	84.4
2020	2897	n/a	n/a	83.8
2021	3081	136.9	22.5	78.6
2022	3186	146.1	21.8	73.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Santa Maria High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$9,635

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Santa Maria High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Pandemic (2021-2022)	Change (%)
Ranks 1373^rd of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1525^th of 2123 High schools	7.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Pandemic (2021-2022)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Maria High)	44.7	28.3	16.4%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Maria Joint Union High)	49.7	37.3	12.4%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	54.8	2.5%
11th Grade Mathematics (Santa Maria High)	24.3	11.6	12.7%
11th Grade Mathematics (Santa Maria Joint Union High)	22.3	14.9	7.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27	5.3%
11th Grade Science (Santa Maria High)	11.1	11.4	0.3%
11th Grade Science (Santa Maria Joint Union High)	17.9	16.1	1.8%
11th Grade Science (California)	30.4	30.8	0.4%
12th Grade Science (Santa Maria High)	8.9	8.9	0%
12th Grade Science (Santa Maria Joint Union High)	13	13.1	0.1%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.8	1.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Pandemic (2020-2021)	Change (%)
Total Students	2720	3081	13.3%
African American	13	7	46.2%
American Indian	4	13	225%
Asian	42	36	14.3%
Hispanic	2604	2956	13.5%
Pacific Islander	2	2
White	46	55	19.6%
Two or More Races	9	11	22.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	84.4%	78.6%	5.8%

Schools Near Santa Maria High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2022)				Ranking (2021)				CAST Science (2022)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2022)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2022)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
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 (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	SchoolDigger Rating (2022)	Average Standard Score (2021)	Statewide Rank (2021)	State Percentile (2021)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Santa Maria High	Public	9-12	901 S. BRd.way	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 925-2567	3,186	146	21.8	73.3%	59 (1.9%)	8 (0.3%)	3,055 (95.9%)	38 (1.2%)	13 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	9 (0.3%)	25.4	1527^th of 2125 public high schools	28.1%					(n/a)	11.4	8.9	10.2	28.3	28.3	11.6	11.6	$9,635
Pioneer Valley High	Public	9-12	675 Panther Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 922-1305	3,156	127	24.8	72.0%	79 (2.5%)	9 (0.3%)	2,958 (93.7%)	84 (2.7%)	5 (0.2%)	4 (0.1%)	16 (0.5%)	39.2	1202^nd of 2125 public high schools	43.4%					(n/a)	18.5	15.9	17.3	39.1	39.1	18.1	18.1	$9,105
Ernest Righetti High	Public	9-12	941 E. Foster Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 937-2051	2,520	117	21.6	61.0%	530 (21.0%)	37 (1.5%)	1,773 (70.4%)	87 (3.5%)	23 (0.9%)	6 (0.2%)	63 (2.5%)	47.9	980^th of 2125 public high schools	53.9%					(n/a)	22.3	16.4	19.4	53.3	53.3	18.9	18.9	$10,413
Delta High	Public	9-12	4893 Bethany Ln.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 937-6356	380	14	27.9	74.7%	33 (8.7%)	1 (0.3%)	339 (89.2%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11.2	1994^th of 2125 public high schools	6.2%					(n/a)	2.1	2.3	2.2	10.1	10.1	0.6	0.6	$12,564
Central Coast New Technical High	Public	9-12	523 N. Thompson Ave.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 474-3350	253	18	14.3	41.9%	149 (58.9%)	1 (0.4%)	74 (29.2%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.7%)	95	115^th of 2125 public high schools	94.6%					(n/a)	70.3	49.3	59.3	87.5	87.5	45.3	45.3	$5,808
Nipomo High	Public	9-12	525 N. Thompson Rd.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 474-3300	885	49	18.2	68.1%	268 (30.3%)	5 (0.6%)	566 (64.0%)	21 (2.4%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	18 (2.0%)	47.5	984^th of 2125 public high schools	53.7%					(n/a)	23.5	16.2	19.8	47.3	47.3	22.7	22.7	$5,874
Lopez Continuation High	Public	9-12	1055 Mesa View Dr.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 474-3750	123	11	10.7	79.7%	50 (40.7%)	1 (0.8%)	70 (56.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15.8	1772^nd of 2125 public high schools	16.6%					(n/a)	6.0	10.7	7.4	17.9	17.9	1.4	1.4	$8,850
Arroyo Grande High	Public	9-12	495 Valley Rd.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 474-3200	2,077	100	20.7	44.8%	1,055 (50.8%)	20 (1.0%)	824 (39.7%)	76 (3.7%)	9 (0.4%)	3 (0.1%)	84 (4.0%)	63.3	647^th of 2125 public high schools	69.6%					(n/a)	30.9	28.9	29.8	57.0	57.0	24.1	24.1	$5,281
Cabrillo High	Public	9-12	4350 Constellation Rd.	Lompoc	93436	Santa Barbara County	Lompoc Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 742-2900	1,096	54	20.1	31.9%	384 (35.0%)	38 (3.5%)	549 (50.1%)	45 (4.1%)	9 (0.8%)	4 (0.4%)	66 (6.0%)	72.8	486^th of 2125 public high schools	77.1%		76.3	284^th of 1290 public high schools	78.0%	202	39.3	16.1	36.2	62.9	62.9	30.2	30.2	$8,911
Maple High	Public	9-12	4010 Jupiter Ave.	Lompoc	93436	Santa Barbara County	Lompoc Unified	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 742-3150	126	10	12.1	65.9%	13 (10.3%)	3 (2.4%)	102 (81.0%)	2 (1.6%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	20.9	1633^rd of 2125 public high schools	23.2%					(n/a)		11.8	9.3	15.4	15.4	0.0	0.0	$14,068

Santa Maria High

Santa Maria High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Santa Maria Joint Union High:

What do you think?

Rank History for Santa Maria High

Rank History for all students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for Homeless students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for Female students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for Disabled students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for Male students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Santa Maria High

Rank History for White students at Santa Maria High

Enrollment information for Santa Maria High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Santa Maria High

Student/Teacher Ratio Santa Maria High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Santa Maria High

Impact of COVID-19 on Santa Maria High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Santa Maria High

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Maria High

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