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Arellanes Junior High · Santa Maria

Arellanes Junior High: The state doesn't publish enough data to score this school fairly.

Arellanes is a middle school in Santa Maria. The state doesn't publish enough data to score it fairly — so we won't. Here's what we can show.

No Scope Score available

California doesn't publicly report per-grade test results when fewer than 11 students are tested in a grade — a privacy protection for small schools. We can't compute a Scope Score without that data.

Worth a school visit

With little published data, a visit does the heavy lifting: ask about class sizes, teacher tenure, and where last year's students went next.

  • Ask about typical class sizes and the student-teacher ratio.
  • Ask how long teachers have stayed at the school.
  • Ask where recent graduates or transfers went next.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom, and watch how a lesson actually runs.

How every group of students does here

At Arellanes Junior High in Santa Maria, 28.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 23.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Arellanes Junior High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (27.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 24.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 606 students tested.

All students at this school: 21% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 21%, district —, state 39%21%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 20%, district 20%, state 32%20% · −1 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 20%, district 20%, state 32%20% · −1 vs school
MaleMale: this school 20%, district 21%, state 42%20% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 23%, district 21%, state 44%23% · +1 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 4%, district 9%, state 11%4% · −18 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 14%, district 18%, state 22%14% · −7 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 3%, district 6%, state 15%3% · −19 vs school

7 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 19:1, district 21:119:1
Teaching staff38 teachers
Avg. experience11.1 years
Fully credentialed82%
First-year teachers3%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$64,227 – $128,272
Principal salary$161,373 – $0
Superintendent salary$292,308

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,751, CA average $14,815$22,751 · spent at this school
Federal share$650 per student

$650 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,317 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction66%
Instruction support13%
Student services11%
Administration4%
Buildings & maintenance7%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$13,224 per pupil
2019$13,010 per pupil
2018$13,843 per pupil
2017$12,298 per pupil
2016$12,093 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic94.5%
District 95.5% · CA 56.1%
White2.5%
District 1.9% · CA 19.9%
Other2.3%
District 2.1% · CA 9.0%
Black0.6%
District 0.2% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.1%
District 0.3% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 93.1% (29pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$111K · CA $85K
Median home value$610K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+32% · CA 35%
ZIP population44,611
Median age39 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 13% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.


SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction