School Profile · Oxnard
Rio Mesa High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Rio Mesa posts 33% meeting the standard and 14.7% exceeding it, against 35% and 15.5% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
545 Central Avenue, 93030·Oxnard Union High·Oxnard·Grades 9-12·1,951 students·73% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 278-5500·Website
Scope Score
49
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #920 statewide · #4 of 10 in Oxnard Union High
Rio Mesa High scores 49 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 47th 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 “33% proficient” and call it done. Rio Mesa deserves a closer read. The school sits in Oxnard, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
33%
State 35%
Graduate
93%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
25%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 33 are proficient by 11th grade → 93 graduate → 25 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
93.2%
State 87.6%
5.6pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
14.7%
State 15.5%
0.8pp below state avg
College readiness
24.5%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
33.3%
State 34.6%
1.3pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
22.1%
State 32.1%
10.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.5%
State 4.0%
0.5pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
12.4%
State 17.7%
5.4pp 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.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 37
Pacifica High
Oxnard Union High · 2.8 mi
Developing
44/100
Condor High
Oxnard Union High · 2.5 mi
Developing
31/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 43
Junipero Serra Elementary
Ventura Unified · 1.8 mi
Developing
47/100
Academy of Technology & Leadership at Saticoy
Ventura Unified · 2.2 mi
Developing
42/100
Norman R. Brekke Elementary
Oxnard · 2.9 mi
Developing
41/100
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 28
Rio del Valle Middle
Rio Elementary · 1.5 mi
Developing
30/100
Rio Vista Middle
Rio Elementary · 1.5 mi
Needs Support
27/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Casa Pacifica Nonpublic School
S Lewis Rd · Nonsectarian · Grades 3-12 · 53 students
11:1Private8 mi
St. Bonaventure High School
Telegraph Rd · Roman Catholic · Grades 9-12 · 378 students
19:1Private6.2 mi
Santa Clara High School
Saviers Rd · Roman Catholic · Grades 9-12 · 210 students
14:1Private5.5 mi
Ventura County Christian School
Macmillan Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 159 students
11:1Private7.5 mi
Ventura Christian Academy
N Ventura Ave · Mennonite · Grades Pre-K-12 · 19 students
4:1Private8.9 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic87.6%
White4.4%
Asian1.0%
Black1.0%
Other6.0%
GenderFemale 48.5%Male 51.0%Non-binary 0.5%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
1,951
501 above CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
73%
9pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,580
District avg: $13,649 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
12.4% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$70,895 – $166,909
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, 42.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Rio Mesa High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (42.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 43.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 332 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+14.5pp
36.6% vs 22.1% overall · n=295
Suspension · Military-Connected+3.4pp
7.9% vs 4.5% overall · n=76
ELA · English Learner−43.5pp
2.9% vs 46.4% overall · n=70
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−21.1pp
0.0% vs 21.1% overall · n=70
Math · English Learner−20.2pp
0.0% vs 20.2% overall · n=73
Math Exceeded · English Learner−8.4pp
0.0% vs 8.4% overall · n=73
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income337 tested
ELA 42.6%·Math 15.1%· +4.0pp vs district
Hispanic411 tested
ELA 42.5%·Math 15.6%· +2.2pp vs district
English Learner73 tested
ELA 2.9%·Math 0.0%· -1.7pp 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
$93K
$8K above CA median
Median Home Value
$688K
$29K above CA median
Bachelor's+
17%
18pp below 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
16.3 years avg experience
96 teachers · 1% first-year · 2% second-year
Teacher Credentials
77% fully credentialed
2.3% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
6 AP courses
51 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%
93.2%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 57th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
14.7%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 49th pctile
College readiness · 20%
24.5%
↓ vs CA 35.5% · 44th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
33.3%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
22.1%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 58th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.5%
↓ vs CA 4.0% · 48th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
12.4%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 470 | 21% | 25% | 23% | 30% | 46% | −1 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 476 | 8% | 12% | 22% | 58% | 20% | −3 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 489 | 8% | 24% | 61% | 8% |
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 | 332 | 42.6% | +4 | +4 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 406 | 42.5% | +2 | +4 |
| English Learners | 70 | 2.9% | −2 | −8 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Mesa High ← | — | 49 | 14.7% | 33.3% | — | 4.5% |
| Pacifica High | 2.8 mi | 44 | 7.1% | 23.8% | — | 3.6% |
| Condor High | 2.5 mi | 31 | 3.6% | 15.8% | — | 0.6% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
93.2%
AP Exam Prepared
24.5%
A-G Completion
30.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
79.2%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #901 → #971 → #908 → #978 → #920
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Rio Mesa High a good high school?
Rio Mesa High has a Scope Score of 49 out of 100, placing it in the 47th percentile of California high schools and ranked #920 statewide. 14.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near 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 Rio Mesa High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 33.3% of students at Rio Mesa High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 14.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 14.7% 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. 946 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Rio Mesa High rank in California?
Rio Mesa High ranks #920 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 47th 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 Rio Mesa High?
22.1% of students at Rio Mesa 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 4.5%. 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 Rio Mesa High compare to other schools in Oxnard?
Rio Mesa High scores 49/100 (47th 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 1,951 students. Use the schools in Oxnard page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Rio Mesa High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, 42.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Rio Mesa High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (42.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 43.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 332 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.