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Santa Maria High School

Q: Is Santa Maria High School a good school?

Santa Maria High School ranks 1412 th of 2057 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1412^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,057 Texas High Schools

Better than 31% of Texas high schools

Summary

Santa Maria High School is a small, rural high school in Santa Maria, TX, serving 165 students in grades 9-12 within the Santa Maria Independent School District (Isd). The school has shown a clear upward trend in recent years, moving from the 9th percentile statewide in 2020-2021 to the 31st percentile in 2025-2026, and its star rating has risen from 0 to 2 stars.

Santa Maria High School excels in keeping students on track to graduate, with a graduation rate above 95% for the last five years, including a perfect 100% in 2021-2022. This is a stark contrast to nearby schools like Mercedes Academic Academy (68.7%) and Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes (84%). The school also invests heavily in its students, spending over $18,700 per student and maintaining an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 7:1, the lowest among comparable schools in the area. However, this investment has not yet translated into strong academic proficiency; for example, only 31.8% of students were proficient in Algebra I in 2025-2026, well below the state average. The school does show a notable strength in serving its Migrant Student population, ranking in the 59th percentile for this subgroup.

When compared to the nearby magnet schools of the South Texas Independent School District (Isd), such as South Texas Independent School District (Isd) Health Professions and South Texas Independent School District (Isd) Science Academy, Santa Maria serves a very different population. These selective schools consistently achieve proficiency rates 30-40 percentage points higher in every subject, highlighting the challenges Santa Maria faces as a neighborhood school serving a high-poverty community. While Santa Maria's test scores remain low, its success in graduating its students is a significant achievement given the context. The school's performance for subgroups like Special Education and Gifted and Talented students has been volatile, suggesting areas for improvement in providing stable, effective programs for all learners.

165

Students ?

7.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,932

Per pupil spending ?

97.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

33316 River Dr
Santa Maria, TX 78592-0448

(956) 565-9144

District: Santa Maria Independent School District (Isd)

Feeder schools for Santa Maria High School:

Elementary:	Tony Gonzalez Elementary
Middle:	Santa Maria Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

100.0%

See top rated Texas high schools

Compare Santa Maria High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 17th percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Strengths

✓96% graduate within 4 years

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (50% vs 62% meeting standards)

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

!Algebra I scores 22 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg53%

Texas avg62%

1,412^th of 2,057

Texas public high schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

708^th of 947Santa Maria Independent School District (Isd) among Texas 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	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	1412 of 2057	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.3	1365 of 1974	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.0	1498 of 1990	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	1629 of 1961	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	1551 of 1876	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.6	1698 of 1861	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	1636 of 1857	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	1462 of 1797	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.5	1453 of 1777	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.1	1471 of 1762	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.8	1266 of 1743	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.2	1284 of 1734	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.1	1435 of 1652	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.9	1443 of 1603	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.1	1440 of 1672	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	32.5	1327 of 1568	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	39.0	1191 of 1539	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	37.6	1155 of 1510	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	55.8	806 of 1497	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.1	958 of 1430	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	46.5	949 of 1429	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	58.7	700 of 1427	50.9%	★★★☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	17.9	1639 of 1837	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.8	1764 of 1829	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.5	1540 of 1810	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.1	1588 of 1784	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	25.1	986 of 1209	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.9	834 of 1153	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	1162 of 1437	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	1158 of 1371	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	981 of 1278	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.7	1148 of 1195	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	816 of 1136	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.5	766 of 1113	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	1336 of 1976	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.4	1255 of 1504	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	1504 of 1880	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	1475 of 1891	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.1	1494 of 1841	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.2	1669 of 1815	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	1598 of 1798	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	1430 of 1781	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	10.0	1160 of 1208	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	44.5	672 of 964	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.8	1046 of 1182	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.3	866 of 1172	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	3.9	1150 of 1177	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.0	1144 of 1145	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.0	1133 of 1137	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	1197 of 1909	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.1	1098 of 1453	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	1334 of 1805	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	1444 of 1820	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	1401 of 1762	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.6	1583 of 1743	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.6	1538 of 1714	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	1385 of 1691	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	1184 of 1976	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.2	1069 of 1513	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.0	1345 of 1884	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	1515 of 1897	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	1441 of 1847	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	1665 of 1848	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.5	1622 of 1818	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	1447 of 1794	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	1430 of 1993	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.9	1142 of 1515	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	1491 of 1891	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	1670 of 1913	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	1562 of 1853	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.0	1692 of 1840	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	1672 of 1824	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	1605 of 1803	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	33 of 81	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.2	60 of 95	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.8	103 of 114	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.6	91 of 113	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.9	71 of 131	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	1289 of 1610	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.7	1100 of 1299	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.3	832 of 1548	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.2	1284 of 1478	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	1195 of 1418	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.9	1350 of 1382	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.1	852 of 1357	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.9	1288 of 1347	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Migrant (2025)59th percentile+28 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)40th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)37th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)28th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)20th percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)18th percentile-13 vs school

At Risk (2022)11th percentile-7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)4th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

U.S. History66%-4 vs state

Biology53%-17 vs state

English II Reading53%-7 vs state

English I Reading45%-11 vs state

Algebra I32%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Santa Maria High School

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC U.S. History (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)		STAAR Mathematics (2026)		STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	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	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC U.S. History End of Course	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Santa Maria High School	Public	9-12	33316 River Dr	Santa Maria	78592	Cameron County	Santa Maria Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 565-9144	165	23	7.0	97.6%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	165 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.2	1412^th of 2057 public high schools	31.4%		31.3	1365^th of 1974 public high schools	30.9%	47	31.8	53.3	44.9	52.9	66.0						$17,932
Mercedes High School	Public	9-12	1200 S Florida	Mercedes	78570	Hidalgo County	Mercedes Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 514-2100	903	61	14.8	92.0%	15 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	882 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	16.5	1737^th of 2057 public high schools	15.6%		11.3	1760^th of 1974 public high schools	10.8%	23	23.9	38.1	21.0	48.2	44.8						$13,666
Mercedes Academic Academy	Public	9-12	720 S Mile 1 E	Mercedes	78570	Hidalgo County	Mercedes Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 514-5076	100	9	10.7	96.0%	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.3	1840^th of 2057 public high schools	10.5%		2.4	1945^th of 1974 public high schools	1.5%	105	6.3	27.3	13.6	28.1	47.8						$7,158
La Feria Early College High School	Public	9-12	901 N Canal St	La Feria	78559	Cameron County	La Feria Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 797-8370	901	69	13.0	80.9%	18 (2.0%)	2 (0.2%)	881 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.8	1396^th of 2057 public high schools	32.1%		32.5	1342^nd of 1974 public high schools	32.0%	54	21.4	70.5	33.9	59.5	52.0						$11,060
Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes	Public, Charter	9-12	103 E 2nd St	Mercedes	78570	Hidalgo County	Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 565-5417	109	5	22.1		1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	108 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.2	1919^th of 2057 public high schools	6.7%		7.2	1825^th of 1974 public high schools	7.5%	94	26.9	34.5	13.3	11.4	26.5						$13,098
Mercedes Early College Academy	Public	9-12	950 W 6th St	Mercedes	78570	Hidalgo County	Mercedes Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 514-5180	355	22	15.9	80.0%	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	348 (98.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55.7	818^th of 2057 public high schools	60.2%		62.7	607^th of 1974 public high schools	69.3%	211	44.2	68.1	40.8	73.9	73.6						$8,738
Progreso High School	Public	9-12	700 Business Fm 1015	Progreso	78579	Hidalgo County	Progreso Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 565-4142	431	33	13.2	100.0%	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	427 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28.1	1547^th of 2057 public high schools	24.8%		21	1595^th of 1974 public high schools	19.2%	48	23.0	60.6	35.3	39.2	63.0						$12,758
Rgv Youth Recovery Home	Public	7-12	29783 Rangerville Raod	San Benito	78586	Cameron County	San Benito Consolidated Independent School District	No	No	(n/a)	No	(956) 428-5200	12	5	2.5	58.3%	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (91.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2.6	1994^th of 2057 public high schools	3.1%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0	10.0
South Texas Independent School District (Isd) Health Professions	Public, Magnet	9-12	700 Med High Dr	Mercedes	78570	Hidalgo County	South Texas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 565-2237	781	54	14.5	64.1%	44 (5.6%)	11 (1.4%)	667 (85.4%)	55 (7.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	78.9	239^th of 2057 public high schools	88.4%		81	209^th of 1974 public high schools	89.4%	30	57.1	80.0	83.9	85.1	76.4						$16,697
South Texas Independent School District (Isd) Science Academy	Public, Magnet	9-12	900 Med High Dr	Mercedes	78570	Hidalgo County	South Texas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(956) 565-4620	840	65	12.8	54.8%	69 (8.2%)	14 (1.7%)	696 (82.9%)	54 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)	84.1	138^th of 2057 public high schools	93.3%		85.9	124^th of 1974 public high schools	93.7%	14	41.2	81.6	83.0	83.7	91.8						$14,808

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Maria High School

What district is Santa Maria High School in?

Santa Maria Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Santa Maria High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 165 students attended Santa Maria High School.

What is the racial makeup of Santa Maria High School?

Students at Santa Maria High School are 100% Hispanic.

Is Santa Maria High School a good school?

Santa Maria High School ranks 1412^th of 2057 Texas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Santa Maria High School?

Santa Maria High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Tony Gonzalez Elementary
Middle : Santa Maria Middle

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

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.