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Public high school · Santa Maria Joint Union High · Santa Maria, California

Santa Maria High

Santa Maria High rates 6.5, right at the middle of Santa Maria Joint Union High's high schools, whose rated median is 6.5.

High schools, 1 to 10This campus against public high schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
6.5this school

6.5 on a one-to-ten scale; the Santa Maria Joint Union High median is 6.5.

#4,648 of 9,557 schools in California · Santa Maria Joint Union High: 4 high schools rated, median 6.5

The brief

A Santa Maria Joint Union High high school serving grades 9th – 12th.

It ranks 4,648 of 9,557 schools in California and 2 of 4 in Santa Maria Joint Union High.

Santa Maria High is listed in Santa Maria Joint Union High, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.

Math16%18 points below the California average of 34%2025 CAASPP
Reading45%8 points below the California average of 53%2025 CAASPP
Proficiency is down 7 points across the 17-year record (2009–2025) and has held near 30% recently.2025 CAASPP; 30 test records from CA state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
6.8
25% of the rating
Academics
5.8
25% of the rating
College Readiness
6.1
30% of the rating
Resources & Environment
7.7
20% of the rating
About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 7 sources, 2019–2025

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 4/4 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 29% (multi-year average, 2009-2025) · reading/ELA 39% (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2025 CAASPP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: 2025 CAASPP. A newer release may be available.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2025 CAASPP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: 2025 CAASPP. A newer release may be available.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
State assessments · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 93454; this does not measure the attendance area.
Programs (AP/IB, athletics, gifted)
CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22 · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: SY 2021–22. A newer release may be available.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2025; directory SY 2023–24

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Santa Maria High and the 20 nearest high schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$84,178
Median home value
$477,600
Median rent
$1,750/mo
College educated
17.8%
Homeownership
53.1%
Poverty rate
13.9%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 93454; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
84
Very Walkable
Bike Score
62
Bikeable
City reported crime
2,425/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Santa Maria. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Santa Maria), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Programs

AP and IB
3 AP courses
15.4% participation · state average 2.6 AP courses · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22
Athletics
30 sports
19 boys' · 11 girls' · 44 teams (incl. JV) · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22
Advanced STEM courses
5 of 5
Algebra II, Advanced Math, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
81.4%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

Compare nearby

Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.
Public-school ratings. Grade-compatible schools within 5 miles, best rated first.
  1. 6.8Compare →
  2. Trivium Charter1.0 mi · charter
    6.8Compare →
  3. Santa Maria Highthis school
    6.5
  4. 6.4Compare →
Three grade-compatible schools using the same rating model sit within 5 miles, and two rate higher than Santa Maria High.Public-school ratings. Straight-line distance from this campus. Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries; verify the enrollment path with the district.

Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.

Charter · enrollment unverified: Potential charter option; enrollment requirements have not been verified.

Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

The public record

What's said publicly about Santa Maria High

Sources:School's websiteWikipedia

Synthesized from public, attributable sources. Updated April 2026.

Santa Maria High School (SMHS) is a public comprehensive high school located in Santa Maria, California 2. Established in 1892, it is recognized as the second-oldest high school in California still operating on its original site 1. The school is part of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, which was founded on June 6, 1893 2. SMHS is situated in the Santa Maria Valley, an agricultural region on California’s Central Coast 1. The school offers tutoring services for students, including support for English Language Development (ELD) learners 1. Recent activities include academic awards ceremonies, theater productions, and community events such as the Day of Hope coin collection, which raised over $1,000 1. The school also participates in spirit weeks and honors veterans and Hispanic Heritage Month 1.
Sources (2)
  1. www.santamariahighschool.org
  2. en.wikipedia.org
Generated by AI from public sources. Every claim is grounded in a cited source.Report inaccuracy

Questions families ask

What grades does Santa Maria High serve?

Santa Maria High serves students in grades 9th through 12th.

How many students attend Santa Maria High?

Santa Maria High has an enrollment of approximately 3,110 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Maria High?

The student-teacher ratio at Santa Maria High is 21.4:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Santa Maria High rank in CA?

Santa Maria High ranks #4,648 of 9,557 schools in CA.

What is Santa Maria High's MySchoolScout rating?

Santa Maria High has a current MySchoolScout rating of 6.5 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown; equity data is shown separately for context.

What are the test scores at Santa Maria High?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Santa Maria High has 29% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025) and 39% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

Is Santa Maria High a charter school?

No, Santa Maria High is not a charter school. It is a traditional public school operated by the local school district.

Is Santa Maria High a Title I school?

No, Santa Maria High is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Santa Maria High?

81.4% of students at Santa Maria High qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
9th – 12th
Enrollment
3,110
Student-teacher ratio
21.4:1
Teachers (FTE)
145
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Midsize City
County
Santa Barbara County
4-year graduation
89.0%
Class of 2023
Rank in district
#2 of 4
Schools in district
4
District spending per student
$17,168
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
21.6%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 93454)
41,710
Area average commute
23 min
Area median age
31.5

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, California Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.