Every school has strengths the data doesn’t fully capture. Visit and see for yourself.
Composite scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.
School overview
College & career readiness
Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports
Dashboard indicators
Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024
Student demographics
Performance breakdown
| Category | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Exceeded Standard | 23.6% |
| Met Standard | 21.8% |
| Below Standard | 54.6% |
What other rankings don't show you
Most rating sites report "45% proficient" for San Marcos Senior High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:
23.6% of students exceeded standard while 21.8% met it. That exceeded rate is 8.1 points above the state average of 15.5%. That's 4.4 points above the Santa Barbara Unified district average of 19.2%. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.
The graduation rate is 96.0% — above the state target. 63.0% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 82.7% of graduates go on to college within a year.
Chronic absenteeism is 19.5%, better than the state average of 34.0%.
Key metrics
ELA scores by grade
| Grade | Tested | Exceeded | Met | Met+Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th | 0 | — | — | — |
| 11th | 465 | 28.0% | 28.0% | 55.9% |
Math scores by grade
| Grade | Tested | Exceeded | Met | Met+Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th | 0 | — | — | — |
| 11th | 462 | 19.3% | 15.6% | 34.9% |
K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data
Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.
Nearby schools
Nearby Elementary Schools
7 within ~3 mi · avg 57.8
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~2 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Data source: California Department of Education (2025 test year) · How we score · Explore all schools · Blog