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

Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 93455

At a glance

Schools

1,595

Students

Districts

Top rankedOrcutt Junior High1127^th of 2,761 California middle schools

▲

Biggest riser

Arellanes Junior High up 122 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

This analysis examines three middle schools serving grades 7-8 in Santa Maria, California's 93455 zip code, operating across two different school districts: Santa Maria-Bonita and Orcutt Union Elementary.

Among these schools, Orcutt Junior High stands out as the top academic performer with the highest overall test scores and best statewide ranking, while also operating with the lowest per-student spending. Lakeview Junior High shows particular strength in English Language Arts, and Arellanes Junior High has demonstrated the most significant improvement in its statewide ranking over recent years despite having the lowest current scores.

A key finding is the notable performance difference between the two districts, with schools in the Orcutt Union Elementary district outperforming the school in Santa Maria-Bonita across all subjects. All three schools face challenges with chronic absenteeism rates that exceed their district averages, and science scores are an area for growth across the board. The analysis reveals complex relationships between funding, student-teacher ratios, and academic outcomes that suggest factors beyond simple resource allocation influence school performance in this area.

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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Arellanes Junior High	Public	7-8	1890 Sandalwood Dr.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6820	668	37	18.1	93.1%	17 (2.5%)	4 (0.6%)	631 (94.5%)	14 (2.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18.4	2297^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.8%		16.5	2419^th of 2783 public middle schools	13.1%	122	13.4	13.4	32.3	24.9	28.8	14.4	13.5	14.0	$24,183	$22,118	$2,065
Lakeview Junior High	Public	7-8	3700 Orcutt Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8600	463	20	23.5	72.4%	98 (21.2%)	3 (0.6%)	322 (69.5%)	13 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (5.2%)	51.9	1136^th of 2761 public middle schools	58.9%		48.2	1210^th of 2783 public middle schools	56.5%	74	33.2	33.2	50.0	45.8	48.0	30.9	32.9	31.9	$30,159	$18,728	$11,431
Orcutt Junior High	Public	7-8	608 Pinal St.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8700	464	21	22.4	55.0%	145 (31.3%)	8 (1.7%)	249 (53.7%)	13 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (10.1%)	52.2	1127^th of 2761 public middle schools	59.2%		57.5	948^th of 2783 public middle schools	65.9%	179	32.2	32.2	51.8	33.7	43.1	43.0	31.6	37.6	$33,180	$21,326	$11,854

Cities Near Zip Code 93455

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Santa Maria	1.56 mi	39	667^th
Orcutt	2.01 mi	2
Lompoc	8.6 mi	17	705^th
Vandenberg Afb	8.6 mi	3	407^th
Los Alamos	9.83 mi	1	630^th

See the top CA California cities

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.