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Coast Union High · Cambria

Coast Union High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Coast Union posts 19% meeting the standard and 4.1% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

2950 Santa Rosa Creek Road, 93428 (opens in new tab)·Coast Unified·Cambria·Grades 9-12·159 students·89% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 927-3889
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope3944
% Exceeded4%16%
% Met+19%36%
Grad rate100.0%87.6%
College readiness20.0%35.4%
Absence28.4%30.2%
Suspension4.3%3.6%
Scope Score
39
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,384 statewide

Coast Union High scores 39 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 36th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “19% proficient” and call it done. Coast Union deserves a closer read. The school sits in Cambria, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Slipped from the 67th to the 36th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathRed(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 19% meet the standard today, versus 51% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1171%65%75%21%30%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1131%29%46%20%8%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
19%
State 36%
Graduate
100%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
20%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 19 are proficient by 11th grade → 100 graduate → 20 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
100.0%
State 87.6%
12.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
4.1%
State 15.8%
11.8pp below state avg
College readiness
20.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
18.9%
State 35.7%
16.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
28.4%
State 30.2%
1.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.3%
State 3.6%
0.7pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
16.2%
State 18.0%
1.8pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Coast Union High in Cambria, 31.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Coast Union High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (24.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.5 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 35 students tested.

All students at this school: 19% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 19%, district —, state 36%19%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 20%, district 27%, state 32%20% · +1 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 17%, district 24%, state 32%17% · −2 vs school
MaleMale: this school 13%, district 30%, state 42%13% · −6 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 26%, district 31%, state 44%26% · +8 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 8%, district 11%, state 11%8% · −11 vs school

5 of 11 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 28.4%, district 19.0%, state 30.2%28.4% · −1.8pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 4.3%, district —, state 3.6%4.3% · +0.7pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1227.1%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Coast Union High
39/100
This school

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 11:1, district 13:111:1
Teaching staff19 teachers
Avg. experience9.9 years
Fully credentialed95%
First-year teachers16%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$50,225 – $115,647
Principal salary$148,588 – $148,588
Superintendent salary$195,390

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered16
AP exam qualifiers7 students
CTE pathway completers8 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $37,854, CA average $14,815$37,854 · spent at this school
Federal share$365 per student

$365 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$37,367 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
Instruction56%
Instruction support8%
Student services11%
Administration11%
Buildings & maintenance13%
Other1%

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$22,713 per pupil
2019$20,562 per pupil
2018$21,927 per pupil
2017$20,790 per pupil
2016$19,430 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic79.3%
District 77.6% · CA 56.1%
White17.0%
District 18.4% · CA 19.9%
Other3.1%
District 3.6% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.6%
District 0.4% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 88.7% (25pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$100K · CA $85K
Median home value$933K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+49% · CA 35%
ZIP population6,399
Median age61 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 159 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 15% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Coast Union High a good high school?

Coast Union High has a Scope Score of 39 out of 100, placing it in the 36th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,384 statewide. 4.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 11.8 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Coast Union High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 18.9% of students at Coast Union High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 14.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.1% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 74 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Coast Union High rank in California?

Coast Union High ranks #1,384 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 36th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Coast Union High?

28.4% of students at Coast Union High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 4.3%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Coast Union High compare to other schools in Cambria?

Coast Union High scores 39/100 (36th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 159 students. Use the schools in Cambria page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Coast Union High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Coast Union High in Cambria, 31.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Coast Union High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (24.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.5 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 35 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
100.0%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 65th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
4.1%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 37th pctile
College readiness · 20%
20.0%
↓ vs CA 35.4% · 41th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
18.9%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 38th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
28.4%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 51th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.3%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 47th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
16.2%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 50th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 11375%24%16%54%30%−17
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 11373%5%16%76%8%−15
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11400%15%75%10%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged3531.4%+1−7
Hispanic/Latino3324.2%−3−15
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Coast Union High ←—394.1%18.9%—4.3%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
100.0%
AP Exam Prepared
20.0%
A-G Completion
21.7%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
90.3%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195467#67021.4%51.2%15.8%2.2%—
20224864#76414.7%47.1%29.2%3.3%—
20235477#49828.6%60.7%23.7%7.7%—
20243836#13663.5%20.7%22.1%8.5%—
20253936#13844.1%18.9%28.4%4.3%—
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female9.1%28.9%+19.8pp
Male15.0%25.5%+10.5pp
Hispanic/Latino11.2%23.5%+12.3pp
Students with Disabilities5.6%29.2%+23.6pp
English Learners12.8%28.9%+16.1pp
Homeless12.5%25.0%+12.5pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged14.8%26.1%+11.3pp
All Students12.1%27.1%+15.0pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

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

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