Santa Maria High

Summary:

Santa Maria High is a public high school located in Santa Maria, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 3,196 students. The school is part of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, which is ranked 849 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Santa Maria High faces several challenges, including a fluctuating four-year graduation rate ranging from 87.5% to 91.3%, which is lower than nearby Ernest Righetti High (93.6%) and Pioneer Valley High (96.5%). The school also has a relatively high dropout rate, ranging from 2.8% to 8.8%, which is higher than Ernest Righetti High (3.1%) and Pioneer Valley High (2.2%). Additionally, Santa Maria High has seen a steady increase in chronic absenteeism, from 9.8% to 18.5%, significantly higher than Ernest Righetti High (24.9%) and Pioneer Valley High (16.3%).

Academically, Santa Maria High's performance, as measured by proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST, is generally lower than the state and district averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 43.4% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to the district's 48.4% and the state's 55.73%. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate for 11th-grade students was just 13.7%, compared to the district's 17.48% and the state's 27.9%. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with English Language Learners and Special Education students struggling the most.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 901 South Broadway
       Santa Maria, CA  93454-6603


(805) 925-2567

District: Santa Maria Joint Union High

SchoolDigger Rank:
1259th of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,635 Help


Feeder schools for Santa Maria High:

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

Student/teacher ratio:  22.7 Help
Number of students:  3,196

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
96.2%
White:
1.8%
Asian:
1.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  76.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Santa Maria High ranks worse than 54.2% of high schools in California. It also ranks 3rd among 4 ranked high schools in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 35.43. (See more...)
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The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Santa Maria High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 (96.2%), White (1.8%), Asian (1.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 76.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Santa Maria High is 22.7. 2 high schools in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Santa Maria High employs 140.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
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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 2024 Rankings:

Santa Maria High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Maria High 1259th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Santa Maria High in the ranking list.)

High 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:
Military Connected students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:


Santa Maria Joint Union High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Maria Joint Union High 849th of 1568 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2004 28.17 979th 1653 40.8%
2005 31.94 996th 1901 47.6%
2006 31.69 1049th 1968 46.7%
2007 33.81 1046th 2063 49.3%
2008 44.71 801st 2117 62.2%
2009 48.39 785th 2238 64.9%
2010 43.95 919th 2281 59.7%
2011 50.60 785th 2367 66.8%
2012 49.09 821st 2354 65.1%
2013 53.54 691st 2426 71.5%
2015 32.48 1306th 1994 34.5%
2016 43.78 1128th 2039 44.7%
2017 44.48 1141st 2021 43.5%
2018 49.00 1033rd 2017 48.8%
2019 33.26 1373rd 2133 35.6%
2022 25.36 1525th 2123 28.2%
2023 23.31 1612th 2348 31.3%
2024 35.43 1259th 2323 45.8%
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 SchoolDigger Rating
2018 33.02 578th 938 38.4%
2019 38.70 489th 941 48.0%
2022 30.06 819th 1044 21.6%
2023 23.79 1105th 1323 16.5%
2024 27.75 933rd 1350 30.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Santa Maria High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 22.50 1267th 1547 18.1%
2024 17.66 1428th 1534 6.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education 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 SchoolDigger Rating
2018 57.10 787th 1862 57.7%
2019 37.74 1214th 1937 37.3%
2022 29.95 1358th 1943 30.1%
2023 27.65 1475th 2247 34.4%
2024 40.33 1133rd 2235 49.3%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Migrant students at Santa Maria High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 41.03 65th 100 35.0%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Migrant 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 189th 290 34.8%
2024 44.12 256th 451 43.2%
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 SchoolDigger Rating
2018 48.44 935th 1760 46.9%
2019 30.56 1264th 1833 31.0%
2022 22.08 1450th 1858 22.0%
2023 21.44 1562nd 2118 26.3%
2024 36.27 1181st 2098 43.7%
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 SchoolDigger Rating
2018 17.93 964th 1052 8.4%
2019 19.20 1036th 1117 7.3%
2022 23.74 1015th 1161 12.6%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Santa Maria High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 23.17 195th 234 16.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Santa Maria High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 43.03 1053rd 1834 42.6%
2019 31.32 1255th 1880 33.2%
2022 25.56 1394th 1916 27.2%
2023 23.31 1524th 2207 30.9%
2024 32.21 1264th 2172 41.8%
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 SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.00 713th 1742 59.1%
2019 39.15 1106th 1814 39.0%
2022 30.52 1301st 1861 30.1%
2023 27.84 1429th 2142 33.3%
2024 43.22 1022nd 2125 51.9%
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 1059th 1204 12.0%
2023 18.95 1108th 1434 22.7%
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.

Santa Maria 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 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
2023 58 4 34 3076 12 0 8 4 3196

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

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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
2023 3196 140.7 22.7 76.9

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

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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
2023 3196 140.7 22.7 76.9

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

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YearTotal 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
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1373rd of 2133 High schoolsRanks 1612th of 2348 High schools
 4.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Maria High)44.727.9
 16.8%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Maria Joint Union High)49.738
 11.7%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.355.4
 1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Santa Maria High)24.310.4
 13.9%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Santa Maria Joint Union High)22.314.5
 7.8%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227.4
 4.9%
11th Grade Science (Santa Maria High)11.114.4
 3.4%
   11th Grade Science (Santa Maria Joint Union High)17.916.6
 1.3%
   11th Grade Science (California)30.431.7
 1.3%
12th Grade Science (Santa Maria High)8.92.6
 6.3%
   12th Grade Science (Santa Maria Joint Union High)135.6
 7.4%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.9
 1.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students27203196
 17.5%
African American134
 69.2%
American Indian412
 200%
Asian4234
 19%
Hispanic26043076
 18.1%
Pacific Islander20
 100%
White4658
 26.1%
Two or More Races98
 11.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients84.4%76.9%
 7.5%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Maria High

In the 2022-23 school year, 3,196 students attended Santa Maria High.

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

Santa Maria High ranks 1259th of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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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