Santa Maria Joint Union High
Santa Maria Joint Union High has 4 ranked schools across high levels with an average Scope Score of 45.5/100 — 1.7 points near the California state average of 43.8. The highest-scoring school is Ernest Righetti High at 53/100, where 17.0% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $13,351 per student (below the state average of $14,815). Chronic absenteeism averages 31.6%, above the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.
District Analysis
Consistency: Score range of 19.9 points — moderately consistent between schools.
Absenteeism: District chronic absenteeism averages 31.6%, 13.5pp below the state average of 18.1%.
Suspensions: District suspension rate averages 4.1%, below the state average of 1.7%.
Top school: Ernest Righetti High leads the district at 53 with 17.0% exceeding standard.
How we score · Scope Score methodology
Student demographics
District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data
District Funding
Santa Maria Joint Union High spends $13,351 per student in current expenditures — $1,464 below the state average of $14,815.
Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020
Teacher compensation
CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25
High Schools (4)
Santa Maria Joint Union High has 4 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 45.5 — 2.0 points below the state average of 47.5.
The highest-scoring high school is Ernest Righetti High with a Scope Score of 53 and 17.0% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ernest Righetti High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 17.0% | Solid 53/100 |
| 2 | Santa Maria High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 8.8% | Developing 49/100 |
| 3 | Pioneer Valley High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 11.1% | Developing 48/100 |
| 4 | Delta High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 0.5% | Developing 33/100 |
Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology
Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.
What Scope Scores can't tell you about Santa Maria Joint Union High
- Class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality
- Quality of arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs
- Teacher experience, turnover, and professional development
- Campus safety, bullying climate, and social-emotional support
- Parent and community engagement levels
- Quality of special education and gifted programs
- How resources are distributed across schools within the district
Scope Scores measure academic performance and school climate using public data. They are one lens among many. Full methodology