Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Santa Maria High

Q: Is Santa Maria High a good school?

Santa Maria High ranks 1251 st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1251^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 42% of California high schools

Summary

Santa Maria High is a large public high school serving grades 9-12 in Santa Maria, CA, with over 3,100 students, where a majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and it has recently shown a promising upward trend in its statewide academic ranking after several years of decline.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, particularly in mathematics where only about 16% of students are proficient, which is below both the Santa Maria Joint Union High district and state averages. Its performance in English and science is closer to, but still below, district peers. The school's graduation rate, however, is a relative strength, slightly exceeding the state average. When compared to other schools in its own district, such as the higher-performing Ernest Righetti High and the similarly-rated Pioneer Valley High, Santa Maria High's academic results are generally lower, though it performs notably better than the struggling Delta High.

The school shows distinct strengths in supporting specific student groups, with homeless students performing above the school's average, though it faces greater challenges with English learners and students in special education. Chronic absenteeism is also an area for improvement. Interestingly, schools in the neighboring Lucia Mar Unified district, like the top-rated Central Coast New Technical High and Arroyo Grande High, achieve much higher results with similar resources, suggesting potential strategies Santa Maria High could learn from to continue its recent positive trajectory.

3,143

Students ?

21.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,920

Per pupil spending ?

76.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 South Broadway
Santa Maria, CA 93458-6603

(805) 925-2567

District: Santa Maria Joint Union High

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.3%

White:

1.2%

Asian:

0.9%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Santa Maria High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 28th percentile in 2023 → 42nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 42nd (2025) from a 28th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 22 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg30%

California avg41%

1,251^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High Schools in the Santa Maria Joint Union High

963^rd of 1,543Santa Maria Joint Union High 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	40.3	1251 of 2162	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.7	1277 of 2159	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.6	1567 of 2170	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	1525 of 2123	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.3	1373 of 2133	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.0	1033 of 2017	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.5	1141 of 2021	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.8	1128 of 2039	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.5	1306 of 1994	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.5	691 of 2426	71.5%	★★★★☆
2012	49.1	821 of 2354	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.6	785 of 2367	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	44.0	919 of 2281	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	48.4	785 of 2238	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	44.7	801 of 2117	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	33.8	1046 of 2063	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	31.7	1049 of 1968	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	31.9	996 of 1901	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	28.2	979 of 1653	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	23.7	1015 of 1161	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	1036 of 1117	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.9	964 of 1052	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	32.2	791 of 1085	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	903 of 1064	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	819 of 1044	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	489 of 941	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	578 of 938	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.6	1203 of 1906	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.3	1159 of 1915	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.6	1451 of 1915	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	1450 of 1858	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	1264 of 1833	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.4	935 of 1760	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	985 of 1900	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	1007 of 1902	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	1327 of 1917	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	1301 of 1861	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	1106 of 1814	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.0	713 of 1742	59.1%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.4	198 of 410	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.2	197 of 328	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	189 of 290	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	1097 of 2013	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.8	1127 of 2026	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.8	1397 of 2030	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	1358 of 1943	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.7	1214 of 1937	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.1	787 of 1862	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.4	1142 of 1942	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	1212 of 1948	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.6	1405 of 1963	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	1394 of 1916	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	1255 of 1880	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.0	1053 of 1834	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	57 of 85	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	55 of 85	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	104 of 175	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.3	152 of 183	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	930 of 1252	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	1134 of 1216	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	982 of 1197	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	20.7	966 of 1193	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	1059 of 1204	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)52nd percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)41st percentile~ school

Female (2025)37th percentile-5 vs school

Migrant (2025)33rd percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)27th percentile-14 vs school

Special Education (2025)26th percentile-16 vs school

White (2023)19th percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2022)13th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Science24%-9 vs state

Mathematics16%-22 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Santa Maria High and help other families decide.

Rate Santa Maria High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Santa Maria High

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		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	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Santa Maria High	Public	9-12	901 South Broadway	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 925-2567	3,143	144	21.9	76.1%	39 (1.2%)	6 (0.2%)	3,057 (97.3%)	29 (0.9%)	4 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.1%)	40.3	1251^st of 2162 public high schools	42.1%		38.7	1277^th of 2159 public high schools	40.9%	26	24.0		23.8	44.5	44.5	15.7	15.7	$27,920	$26,640	$1,280
Pioneer Valley High	Public	9-12	675 Panther Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 922-1305	3,080	140	22.0	71.9%	70 (2.3%)	13 (0.4%)	2,893 (93.9%)	87 (2.8%)	4 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	8 (0.3%)	47.2	1092^nd of 2162 public high schools	49.5%		52.1	952^nd of 2159 public high schools	55.9%	140	24.2	23.5	24.2	50.2	50.2	21.3	21.3	$26,979	$25,752	$1,227
Ernest Righetti High	Public	9-12	941 East Foster Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 937-2051	2,416	115	21.0	55.5%	424 (17.5%)	32 (1.3%)	1,815 (75.1%)	78 (3.2%)	17 (0.7%)	6 (0.2%)	34 (1.4%)	58	877^th of 2162 public high schools	59.4%		62.4	711^th of 2159 public high schools	67.1%	166	31.1	13.3	30.6	60.5	60.5	22.6	22.6	$29,708	$28,504	$1,204
Delta High	Public	9-12	4893 Bethany Ln.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 937-6356	291	14	20.7	78.7%	11 (3.8%)	2 (0.7%)	274 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10.9	1974^th of 2162 public high schools	8.7%		10.6	2033^rd of 2159 public high schools	5.8%	59	3.3		3.7	17.0	17.0	1.1	1.1	$33,469	$32,788	$681
Central Coast New Technical High	Public	9-12	523 North Thompson Ave.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3350	318	17	19.1	50.3%	160 (50.3%)	2 (0.6%)	123 (38.7%)	7 (2.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.0%)	92.9	150^th of 2162 public high schools	93.1%		95.6	99^th of 2159 public high schools	95.4%	51	62.8		62.8	77.2	77.2	53.2	53.2	$19,079	$16,452	$2,627
Nipomo High	Public	9-12	525 North Thompson Rd.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3300	819	43	19.0	70.2%	225 (27.5%)	5 (0.6%)	542 (66.2%)	10 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.8%)	61.4	785^th of 2162 public high schools	63.7%		49.7	1002^nd of 2159 public high schools	53.6%	217	34.0		33.3	67.7	67.7	19.8	19.8	$19,372	$16,590	$2,782
Lopez Continuation High	Public	10-12	1055 Mesa View Dr.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3750	96	9	10.9	77.1%	27 (28.1%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (65.6%)	2 (2.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	11.2	1959^th of 2162 public high schools	9.4%		19.1	1716^th of 2159 public high schools	20.5%	243	0.0		0.0	15.2	15.2	4.6	4.6	$28,736	$24,444	$4,292
Arroyo Grande High	Public	9-12	495 Valley Rd.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3200	2,012	96	20.9	47.2%	966 (48.0%)	11 (0.5%)	845 (42.0%)	60 (3.0%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	115 (5.7%)	79.9	414^th of 2162 public high schools	80.9%		74.4	488^th of 2159 public high schools	77.4%	74	47.5	9.1	46.6	69.8	69.8	36.6	36.6	$15,413	$12,818	$2,595
Cabrillo High	Public	9-12	4350 Constellation Rd.	Lompoc	93436	Santa Barbara County	Lompoc Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 742-2900	1,060	56	19.0	48.3%	322 (30.4%)	22 (2.1%)	544 (51.3%)	47 (4.4%)	11 (1.0%)	4 (0.4%)	108 (10.2%)	61.3	790^th of 2162 public high schools	63.5%		59.8	767^th of 2159 public high schools	64.5%	23	41.3	16.7	40.2	44.4	44.4	30.7	30.7	$26,829	$26,010	$819
Maple High	Public	9-12	4010 Jupiter Ave.	Lompoc	93436	Santa Barbara County	Lompoc Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 742-3150	135	9	14.7	85.2%	26 (19.3%)	2 (1.5%)	99 (73.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.5%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.2%)	9	2072^nd of 2162 public high schools	4.2%		8.8	2131^st of 2159 public high schools	1.3%	59	1.5		1.4	9.3	9.3	1.3	1.3	$38,111	$36,882	$1,229

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Maria High

How many students attend Santa Maria High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 3,143 students attended Santa Maria High.

Is Santa Maria High a good school?

Santa Maria High ranks 1251^st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Santa Maria High in?

Santa Maria Joint Union High

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

What is the racial makeup of Santa Maria High?

Students at Santa Maria High are 97% Hispanic, 1% White.

Rate Santa Maria High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Santa Maria, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Santa Maria High!

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.