El Camino Junior High

Summary:

El Camino Junior High is a public middle school serving grades 7-8 in Santa Maria, CA, with 779 students and a student-teacher ratio of 17.1. Unfortunately, the school has consistently been ranked in the bottom 10-15% of California middle schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from Santa Maria-Bonita School District, which is ranked 1401 out of 1568 districts in the state.

El Camino Junior High significantly underperforms the state and district averages across all subject areas and grade levels on standardized tests, with only 23.82% of students proficient or better in ELA and 10.39% in math, compared to 47.04% and 35.54% statewide, respectively. The school's performance is particularly low for male, Hispanic, and special education student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of California middle schools for these groups. Additionally, El Camino has seen a sharp rise in chronic absenteeism, from 3.5% in 2018-2019 to 14.8% in 2022-2023, well above the state average and higher than nearby Arellanes Junior High and Kunst (Tommie) Junior High.

The school's extremely high percentage of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, at 90.89% in 2022-2023, significantly higher than the state and district averages, suggests potential equity concerns and a need to address the unique challenges faced by this student population. While the factors contributing to El Camino's underperformance are complex, the stark contrast in academic achievement compared to other middle schools in the area, such as Orcutt Junior High, indicates that school-specific interventions may be necessary to support student success.


Detail:

Public 7-8

 219 West El Camino
       Santa Maria, CA  93458-3611


(805) 361-7800

District: Santa Maria-Bonita

SchoolDigger Rank:
2469th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,079 Help


Feeder schools for El Camino Junior High:

Elementary:    Bonita Elementary
    Bruce (Robert) Elementary
    Fairlawn Elementary
    Oakley (Calvin C.) Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  18.2 Help
Number of students:  833

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
99.2%
White:
0.4%
Asian:
0.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  93.4% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details El Camino Junior High ranks worse than 88.9% of middle schools in California. It also ranks 3rd among 4 ranked middle schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.07. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (99.2%), Asian (0.4%), White (0.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 93.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at El Camino Junior High is 18.2, which is the lowest among 4 middle schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare El Camino Junior High employs 45.6 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at El Camino Junior High is $9,079, which is the highest among 4 middle schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

El Camino Junior High:

SchoolDigger ranks El Camino Junior High 2469th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See El Camino Junior High in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Migrant students:
Homeless students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:


Santa Maria-Bonita:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Maria-Bonita 1401st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for El Camino Junior High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 24.04 1340th 1769 24.3%
2005 34.04 1123rd 1777 36.8%
2006 37.12 1086th 1804 39.8%
2007 31.18 1358th 1999 32.1%
2008 30.49 1416th 2005 29.4%
2009 28.69 1507th 2063 27.0%
2010 25.57 1709th 2179 21.6%
2011 29.76 1654th 2236 26.0%
2012 24.67 1796th 2259 20.5%
2013 22.94 1924th 2379 19.1%
2015 16.54 2135th 2477 13.8%
2016 22.49 1927th 2497 22.8%
2017 17.87 2116th 2508 15.6%
2018 23.31 1875th 2480 24.4%
2019 24.40 2009th 2715 26.0%
2022 18.32 2292nd 2740 16.4%
2023 17.34 2413th 2802 13.9%
2024 15.07 2469th 2777 11.1%
See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 26.49 1182nd 1364 13.3%
2019 31.78 1027th 1442 28.8%
2022 37.42 873rd 1540 43.3%
2023 34.88 986th 1529 35.5%
2024 35.34 930th 1477 37.0%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 19.23 1473rd 1538 4.2%
2024 23.74 1330th 1550 14.2%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 32.82 1496th 2230 32.9%
2019 34.37 1513th 2369 36.1%
2022 24.77 1904th 2458 22.5%
2023 22.13 2090th 2549 18.0%
2024 19.26 2208th 2575 14.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Migrant students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 32.75 61st 86 29.1%
2024 19.25 84th 94 10.6%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Migrant Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 32.49 233rd 336 30.7%
2023 37.00 198th 321 38.3%
2024 42.80 193rd 394 51.0%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 20.63 1822nd 2262 19.5%
2019 23.64 1835th 2380 22.9%
2022 21.57 2004th 2509 20.1%
2023 17.28 2215th 2547 13.0%
2024 17.02 2218th 2546 12.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 24.21 1167th 1369 14.8%
2019 25.89 1168th 1491 21.7%
2022 20.83 1426th 1531 6.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 24.87 1688th 2273 25.7%
2019 23.84 1845th 2407 23.3%
2022 15.65 2264th 2527 10.4%
2023 17.63 2207th 2558 13.7%
2024 13.41 2349th 2547 7.8%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at El Camino Junior High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 31.78 1425th 2072 31.2%
2019 32.44 1464th 2213 33.8%
2022 24.21 1847th 2359 21.7%
2023 21.88 1961st 2391 18.0%
2024 18.77 2056th 2383 13.7%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic 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.

El Camino Junior High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for El Camino Junior High

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 118 29 48 537 6 n/a n/a 0 738
1990 101 25 54 573 6 n/a n/a 0 759
1991 106 15 67 616 3 n/a n/a 0 807
1992 97 23 69 635 3 n/a n/a 0 827
1993 82 31 69 670 7 n/a n/a 0 859
1994 84 15 61 742 7 n/a n/a 0 909
1995 47 10 48 761 7 n/a n/a 0 873
1996 47 10 48 761 7 n/a n/a 0 873
1997 51 12 47 775 2 n/a n/a 0 887
1998 56 12 41 736 0 n/a n/a 0 845
1999 57 12 45 734 0 n/a n/a 0 848
2000 56 10 72 701 1 n/a n/a 0 840
2001 58 10 57 758 0 n/a n/a 1 884
2002 41 10 50 824 3 n/a n/a 0 928
2003 41 10 50 824 3 n/a n/a 0 928
2004 36 10 42 880 6 n/a n/a 0 974
2005 11 1 30 595 3 n/a n/a 0 640
2006 17 2 26 574 3 n/a n/a 0 622
2007 17 3 24 619 2 n/a n/a 0 665
2008 13 5 27 655 2 n/a n/a 0 702
2009 15 2 23 622 3 1 0 0 666
2010 6 2 18 613 0 0 0 0 639
2011 6 3 16 620 0 1 0 0 646
2012 9 1 15 644 1 1 0 0 671
2013 5 5 15 655 1 0 1 0 682
2014 7 2 7 673 0 0 1 0 690
2015 8 1 10 677 0 0 1 0 697
2016 8 3 14 702 1 0 1 0 729
2017 9 2 8 778 1 0 0 0 798
2018 8 0 8 813 0 0 1 0 830
2019 4 1 6 838 0 0 1 0 850
2020 7 1 8 825 1 0 1 0 843
2021 8 0 8 781 1 0 1 0 799
2022 5 0 4 758 1 0 1 0 769
2023 6 0 4 769 0 0 0 0 779
2024 3 0 3 826 1 0 0 0 833

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 El Camino Junior High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 738 31.5 23.4 n/a
1990 759 35.4 21.4 n/a
1991 807 36.4 22.1 n/a
1992 827 37.0 22.3 66.4
1993 859 41.0 21.0 68.7
1994 909 43.5 20.9 66.7
1995 873 41.5 21.0 80.2
1996 873 41.5 21.0 80.2
1997 887 42.0 21.1 82.5
1998 845 43.5 19.4 84.4
1999 848 42.5 20.0 82.2
2000 840 44.0 19.1 81.4
2001 884 46.8 18.9 78.8
2002 928 47.5 19.5 80
2003 928 47.5 19.5 80
2004 974 49.2 19.8 71.5
2005 640 34.7 18.4 82.5
2006 622 32.0 19.4 85.5
2007 665 32.5 20.5 88.7
2008 702 43.2 16.3 90.9
2009 666 33.9 15.9 80.2
2010 639 34.5 18.5 90.5
2011 646 n/a n/a 89
2012 671 30.4 22.0 n/a
2013 682 30.9 22.0 89.6
2014 690 31.9 21.6 89.4
2015 697 24.0 29.0 89.2
2016 729 34.0 21.4 87.7
2017 798 36.9 21.6 91.9
2018 830 41.9 19.8 92.9
2019 850 39.4 21.5 92.8
2020 843 n/a n/a 93.6
2021 799 44.3 18.0 93
2022 769 40.9 18.8 91.3
2023 779 45.4 17.1 90.9
2024 833 45.6 18.2 93.4

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 El Camino Junior High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 738 31.5 23.4 n/a
1990 759 35.4 21.4 n/a
1991 807 36.4 22.1 n/a
1992 827 37.0 22.3 66.4
1993 859 41.0 21.0 68.7
1994 909 43.5 20.9 66.7
1995 873 41.5 21.0 80.2
1996 873 41.5 21.0 80.2
1997 887 42.0 21.1 82.5
1998 845 43.5 19.4 84.4
1999 848 42.5 20.0 82.2
2000 840 44.0 19.1 81.4
2001 884 46.8 18.9 78.8
2002 928 47.5 19.5 80
2003 928 47.5 19.5 80
2004 974 49.2 19.8 71.5
2005 640 34.7 18.4 82.5
2006 622 32.0 19.4 85.5
2007 665 32.5 20.5 88.7
2008 702 43.2 16.3 90.9
2009 666 33.9 15.9 80.2
2010 639 34.5 18.5 90.5
2011 646 n/a n/a 89
2012 671 30.4 22.0 n/a
2013 682 30.9 22.0 89.6
2014 690 31.9 21.6 89.4
2015 697 24.0 29.0 89.2
2016 729 34.0 21.4 87.7
2017 798 36.9 21.6 91.9
2018 830 41.9 19.8 92.9
2019 850 39.4 21.5 92.8
2020 843 n/a n/a 93.6
2021 799 44.3 18.0 93
2022 769 40.9 18.8 91.3
2023 779 45.4 17.1 90.9
2024 833 45.6 18.2 93.4

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 El Camino Junior High

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $9,079

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on El Camino Junior 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
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 2009th of 2715 Middle schoolsRanks 2413th of 2802 Middle schools
 12.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (El Camino Junior High)32.926.5
 6.5%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Maria-Bonita)39.227.5
 11.8%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.447.4
 3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (El Camino Junior High)20.915.3
 5.6%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Santa Maria-Bonita)24.212.8
 11.4%
   7th Grade Mathematics (California)37.933.2
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (El Camino Junior High)31.521.5
 9.9%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Maria-Bonita)35.323.1
 12.3%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.445.7
 3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (El Camino Junior High)26.510
 16.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Santa Maria-Bonita)26.811.4
 15.4%
   8th Grade Mathematics (California)36.629.9
 6.7%
8th Grade Science (El Camino Junior High)13.38.5
 4.8%
   8th Grade Science (Santa Maria-Bonita)15.29.7
 5.4%
   8th Grade Science (California)30.828.8
 2.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students850779
 8.4%
African American10
 100%
American Indian00
Asian64
 33.3%
Hispanic838769
 8.2%
Pacific Islander00
White46
 50%
Two or More Races10
 100%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients92.8%90.9%
 1.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about El Camino Junior High

In the 2023-24 school year, 833 students attended El Camino Junior High.

El Camino Junior High ranks in the bottom 11.1% of California middle schools.

Students at El Camino Junior High are 99% Hispanic.


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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.





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