School Profile · Morro Bay
Morro Bay High: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
Morro Bay posts 25.8% exceeding the standard — versus 15.5% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.
235 Atascadero Road, 93442 (opens in new tab)·San Luis Coastal Unified·Morro Bay·Grades 9-12·751 students·51% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 771-1845
Scope Score
67
💪 Strong All-Around · Solid
ranked #248 statewide · #2 of 3 in San Luis Coastal Unified
Morro Bay High scores 67 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 86th percentile of 1,739 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “54% proficient” and call it done. Morro Bay deserves a closer read. The school sits in Morro Bay, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 75.0% of students leave measurably college-ready, versus 35.5% statewide.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
54%
State 35%
Graduate
96%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
75%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 54 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 75 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
61.3%
Low-income · ELA · met standard
Morro Bay's most underrated number
61.3% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.
Morro Bay low-income: 61.3%State low-income: 38.2%
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
96.4%
State 87.6%
8.8pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
25.8%
State 15.5%
10.3pp above state avg
College readiness
75.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
54.3%
State 34.6%
19.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
24.5%
State 32.1%
7.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.2%
State 4.0%
2.8pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
36.8%
State 18.0%
18.9pp above 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.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Morro Bay High
67/100
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.
Your other options
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic32.1%
White57.0%
Asian1.1%
Black0.3%
Other9.6%
GenderFemale 47.4%Male 52.1%Non-binary 0.5%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
751
699 below CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
51%
13pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,511
District avg: $15,433 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
36.8% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$58,311 – $121,139
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Morro Bay High in Morro Bay, 61.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Morro Bay High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 11.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.7% Math proficient); White students (68.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 21.7 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 93 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+14.5pp
39.0% vs 24.5% overall · n=123
Suspension · English Learner+7.5pp
8.7% vs 1.2% overall · n=23
Math · Disabilities−34.6pp
4.3% vs 38.9% overall · n=23
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Disabilities−21.7pp
47.8% vs 69.6% overall · n=23
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−27.2pp
8.7% vs 35.9% overall · n=23
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−15.7pp
0.0% vs 15.7% overall · n=23
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income94 tested
ELA 61.3%·Math 28.7%· +11.1pp vs district
White93 tested
ELA 68.8%·Math 46.2%· -8.2pp vs district
Hispanic58 tested
ELA 69.0%·Math 24.1%· +24.7pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$96K
$11K above CA median
Median Home Value
$919K
$260K above CA median
Bachelor's+
47%
12pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
15.4 years avg experience
45 teachers · 9% first-year · 2% second-year
Teacher Credentials
90% fully credentialed
4.5% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
19 AP courses
84 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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%
96.4%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
25.8%
↑ vs CA 15.5% · 61th pctile
College readiness · 20%
75.0%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 73th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
54.3%
↑ vs CA 34.6% · 64th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
24.5%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 56th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.2%
↑ vs CA 4.0% · 62th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
36.8%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 51th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 184 | 36% | 34% | 21% | 9% | 70% | +22 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 185 | 16% | 23% | 32% | 29% | 39% | +16 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 190 | 8% | 32% | 56% | 4% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 93 | 61.3% | +11 | +23 |
| White | 93 | 68.8% | −8 | +7 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 58 | 69.0% | +25 | +30 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morro Bay High ← | — | 67 | 25.8% | 54.3% | — | 1.2% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.4%
AP Exam Prepared
75.0%
A-G Completion
60.5%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
78.2%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #273 → #308 → #221 → #228 → #248
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Morro Bay High a good high school?
Morro Bay High has a Scope Score of 67 out of 100, placing it in the 86th percentile of California high schools and ranked #248 statewide. 25.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 10.3 percentage points above the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Morro Bay High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 54.3% of students at Morro Bay High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 25.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 25.8% 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. 369 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Morro Bay High rank in California?
Morro Bay High ranks #248 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 86th 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 Morro Bay High?
24.5% of students at Morro Bay High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 1.2%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 Morro Bay High compare to other schools in Morro Bay?
Morro Bay High scores 67/100 (86th 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 751 students. Use the schools in Morro Bay page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Morro Bay High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Morro Bay High in Morro Bay, 61.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Morro Bay High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 11.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.7% Math proficient); White students (68.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 21.7 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 93 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.