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Santa Fe High · Santa Fe Springs

Santa Fe High: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Santa Fe posts 59% meeting the standard, and 26.6% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

10400 South Orr and Day Road, 90670 (opens in new tab)·Whittier Union High·Santa Fe Springs·Grades 9-12·1,865 students·78% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(562) 698-8121
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5744
% Exceeded27%16%
% Met+59%36%
Grad rate95.9%86.6%
College readiness49.0%33.9%
Absence18.4%30.2%
Suspension2.9%3.6%
Scope Score
57
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #434 statewide · #2 of 7 in Whittier Union High

Santa Fe High scores 57 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 80th 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.

Most rating sites would stop at “59% proficient” and call it done. Santa Fe deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Fe Springs, where three in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Santa Fe's low-income kids hit 66.5% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has held the 80th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased)

The pandemic drop is behind this school: 59% of students meet the standard today, above the 50% who did in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1160%69%67%63%69%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1141%38%42%43%49%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
59%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 87%
Pass an AP exam
49%
State 34%

Of 100 students here: 59 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 49 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

66.5%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Santa Fe's most underrated number

66.5% 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.

Santa Fe low-income: 66.5%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
95.9%
State 86.6%
9.3pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
26.6%
State 15.8%
10.8pp above state avg
College readiness
49.0%
State 33.9%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
59.1%
State 35.7%
23.4pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
18.4%
State 30.2%
11.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.9%
State 3.6%
0.7pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
20.8%
State 18.0%
2.9pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • 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 Santa Fe High in Santa Fe Springs, 66.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 60.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Fe High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 6.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (45.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (69.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 68.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 353 students tested.

All students at this school: 59% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 59%, district —, state 36%59%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 59%, district 50%, state 32%59% · +0 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 56%, district 47%, state 32%56% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 58%, district 49%, state 42%58% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 60%, district 53%, state 44%60% · +1 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 19%, district 15%, state 15%19% · −40 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 40%, district 35%, state 22%40% · −19 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 54%, district 63%, state 56%54% · −5 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 2%, district 4%, state 11%2% · −57 vs school

5 of 14 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored
Hispanic88.0% AP · 90.2% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.5% AP · 0.4% enroll.
Asian4.7% AP · 2.6% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.3% AP · 0.1% enroll.
Black1.7% AP · 1.9% enroll.
White4.7% AP · 4.6% enroll.
Two or more races0.0% AP · 0.2% enroll.
English learners3.8% AP · 7.0% enroll.
Students with disabilities0.5% AP · 9.6% enroll.

● share of AP enrollment vs share of total enrollment, this school only · not part of the Scope Score

Data source: U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2020-21 (biennial; newest published)

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 18.4%, district 33.5%, state 30.2%18.4% · −11.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.9%, district —, state 3.6%2.9% · −0.7pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1218.0%

Where graduates go

Context — none of this enters the Scope Score

In fall 2025, 29 of Santa Fe's 488 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — San Diego the most common landing, with 8 enrollees.

Applied115fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted76
Enrolled29
Where they landed (fall 2025)
San Diego 8Irvine 7Los Angeles 6Riverside 4Berkeley 3Davis ‹3Merced ‹3Santa Barbara ‹3Santa Cruz ‹3

campuses never sum to the universitywide figure — students apply to several

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 409 completers, 68% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 25 (6%)California State University 98 (24%)California community college 130 (32%)In-state private 9 (2%)Out-of-state, 4-year 16 (4%)Out-of-state, 2-year 1 (0%)Not enrolled 130 (32%)

Percentages are computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers) from CDE-reported counts, not a CDE-native rate.

Data source: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort — the newest published; National Student Clearinghouse match.

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

Peak: 39 enrolled, 2020

UC is one road of many — the full destination mix for the class of 2023 is below. And who applied isn't who the school taught: the ratio between the two reflects the self-selected pool of students who chose to apply, not what happened in the classroom. By the state's 2023 count, 68% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (130) than at UC (25).

Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle · college-going rate: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 24:1, district 23:124:1
Teaching staff77 teachers
Avg. experience18.6 years
Fully credentialed90%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$65,199 – $145,165
Principal salary$0 – $212,304
Superintendent salary$336,933

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP exam qualifiers152 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers61 students
Advanced Coursework

Santa Fe's teachers are authorized to teach 16 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — above the 14-subject median among California schools that offer AP at all — including Calculus BC, Calculus AB, and Computer Science Principles.

AP subjects taught16
Math & Computer Science (4)Calculus AB · Calculus BC · Computer Science Principles · Statistics
Sciences (2)Biology · Environmental Science
English (2)English Language and Composition · English Literature and Composition
History & Social Science (5)Human Geography · Psychology · U.S. Government and Politics · United States History · World History: Modern
World Languages & Cultures (3)French Language and Culture · Spanish Language and Culture · Spanish Literature and Culture

Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, 2025 - 2026 audit year (authorization, not enrollment) · IB World Schools directory, name-matched · structural depth: 2020-21 federal snapshot, table 09

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,119, CA average $14,491$22,119 · spent at this school
Federal share$169 per student

$169 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,145 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 support11%
Student services13%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance11%
Other2%

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$15,902 per pupil
2019$15,369 per pupil
2018$15,862 per pupil
2017$14,025 per pupil
2016$12,926 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic91.2%
District 90.2% · CA 56.1%
White5.1%
District 5.8% · CA 19.9%
Other1.7%
District 1.8% · CA 9.0%
Asian1.1%
District 1.3% · CA 10.2%
Black0.9%
District 0.8% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 77.6% (14pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$89K · CA $85K
Median home value$660K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+23% · CA 35%
ZIP population17,851
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), 36% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Fe High a good high school?

Santa Fe High has a Scope Score of 57 out of 100, placing it in the 80th percentile of California high schools and ranked #434 statewide. 26.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 10.8 percentage points above 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 Santa Fe High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 59.1% of students at Santa Fe High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 26.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 32.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 26.6% 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. 883 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Santa Fe High rank in California?

Santa Fe High ranks #434 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 80th 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 Santa Fe High?

18.4% of students at Santa Fe 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 2.9%. 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 Santa Fe High compare to other schools in Santa Fe Springs?

Santa Fe High scores 57/100 (80th 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 1,865 students. Use the schools in Santa Fe Springs page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Santa Fe High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Santa Fe High in Santa Fe Springs, 66.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 60.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Fe High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 6.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (45.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (69.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 68.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 353 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.

What AP courses are offered at Santa Fe High?

Santa Fe High's teachers are authorized to teach 16 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Computer Science Principles, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, French Language and Culture, Human Geography, Psychology, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture, Statistics, U.S. Government and Politics, United States History, World History: Modern. Authorization means the school may teach a course, not that a section is running this year, and it's separate from AP exam pass rates. Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, analyzed by SchoolScope.

How many students from Santa Fe High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 29 Santa Fe High graduates enrolled at University of California campuses, universitywide. That figure can't be split into a per-campus sum — students apply to several UC campuses at once, so campus-level counts don't add up to the universitywide total. UC is one destination among many: this says nothing about graduates who chose a CSU, a private college, a community college, or work, and it is a count, not a rate or a ranking. Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle.

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.


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%
95.9%
↑ vs CA 86.6% · 60th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
26.6%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 62th pctile
College readiness · 20%
49.0%
↑ vs CA 33.9% · 58th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
59.1%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 67th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
18.4%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 60th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.9%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 53th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
20.8%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1144131%38%18%13%69%+22
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1144223%27%24%26%49%+26
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114625%31%59%5%

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 Disadvantaged35366.5%+6+28
Hispanic/Latino40869.5%+6+31
Students with Disabilities4728.3%+5+11
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Santa Fe High ←5726.6%59.1%2.9%
Norwalk High2.2 mi5418.2%43.6%1.5%
Pioneer High2.3 mi5317.4%44.1%3.1%
Downey High2.2 mi5321.0%51.6%3.7%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
95.9%
AP Exam Prepared
49.0%
A-G Completion
63.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
68.2%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195774#52620.5%50.5%6.8%2.7%
20225679#43223.8%53.6%18.3%3.7%
20235680#43924.9%54.8%17.8%5.4%
20245678#46623.5%52.9%18.0%3.8%
20255780#43426.6%59.1%18.4%2.9%
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
Female5.2%19.1%+13.9pp
Male7.2%16.9%+9.7pp
Asian11.8%4.8%-7.0pp
Black/African American2.4%23.5%+21.1pp
White3.8%8.7%+4.9pp
Hispanic/Latino5.8%17.7%+11.9pp
Students with Disabilities15.6%27.8%+12.2pp
English Learners12.1%27.8%+15.7pp
Foster Youth14.3%
Homeless8.7%31.1%+22.4pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged6.7%19.6%+12.9pp
All Students6.2%18.0%+11.8pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
202511576293.803.904.03
202411978293.723.874.03
202311867273.814.004.15
202213668223.733.884.06
202112380303.713.833.89
2020148101393.663.803.88
201912260263.623.863.89
201813362243.633.934.00
201715168373.563.893.98
201611572343.643.833.94
201510546253.633.944.00
201411568393.673.913.98

‹n = UC masks counts below n · a missing year means zero or masked — never assume zero · GPA cells blank for years with more than one contributing CEEB code (a summed GPA would be fabricated math) · GPAs live here and nowhere else on this page · Applied/Admitted/Enrolled reflect who applied, not what the school taught — no admit rate is computed or implied by this table. Series shown from 2014; full record to 1994 at the UC Infocenter.

07UC admissions by campuslatest falls on file
CampusYearAppliedAdmittedEnrolled
Berkeley20253743
Berkeley2024385‹3
Berkeley202357166
Berkeley202245103
Berkeley20213373
Davis2025226‹3
Davis20242511‹3
Davis20233219‹3
Davis20223715‹3
Davis202129103
Irvine202584167
Irvine202487215
Irvine20239513‹3
Irvine202210494
Irvine20219410‹3
Los Angeles20257166
Los Angeles20248966
Los Angeles20238366
Los Angeles20228053
Los Angeles2021805‹3
Merced20252121‹3
Merced20241414‹3
Merced20231412‹3
Merced20221916‹3
Merced20211917‹3
Riverside202554464
Riverside202447305
Riverside202341283
Riverside20225428‹3
Riverside202155338
San Diego202575318
San Diego2024613010
San Diego202377194
San Diego202282145
San Diego202165244
Santa Barbara20256214‹3
Santa Barbara20245716‹3
Santa Barbara202364215
Santa Barbara20225214‹3
Santa Barbara202154145
Santa Cruz20252516‹3
Santa Cruz20243620‹3
Santa Cruz20232716‹3
Santa Cruz2022328‹3
Santa Cruz20213418‹3
Universitywide20251157629
Universitywide20241197829
Universitywide20231186727
Universitywide20221366822
Universitywide20211238030

Σ campuses ≠ universitywide — students apply to several campuses; the Universitywide row (muted) is its own independent count, never a sum of the rows above it.

08AP course catalog2025 - 2026
SubjectTaught by
Biologythis school
Calculus ABthis school
Calculus BCthis school
Computer Science Principlesthis school
English Language and Compositionthis school
English Literature and Compositionthis school
Environmental Sciencethis school
French Language and Culturethis school
Human Geographythis school
Psychologythis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Spanish Literature and Culturethis school
Statisticsthis school
U.S. Government and Politicsthis school
United States Historythis school
World History: Modernthis school

Authorization ≠ a section running this year — the Ledger records what the school may teach, not seat counts.

09Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
MeasureThis school
AP offeredoffered
AP course count16
AP enrollment574
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentoffered · 112 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections4
Physics sections19
Chemistry sections33
Total enrollment (CRDC)2,068

Shown, never scored — no entry to any composite. NULL/reserve codes render "not reported," never a fabricated zero. The equity block above this table (§4) is the per-subgroup view of this same collection.

10College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California256.1%
California State University9824.0%
California community college13031.8%
In-state private92.2%
Out-of-state, 4-year163.9%
Out-of-state, 2-year10.2%
Not enrolled13031.8%

409 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 68% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers), not a CDE-native rate · a missing cell is CDE suppression, never a fabricated zero · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match — a different, older vintage than the fall 2025 UC admissions rows in tables 06-07 above.

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 · UC Infocenter (annual refresh, summer) — ‹5/‹3 = masked, never summed across campuses · AP Course Ledger 2025 - 2026 (November refresh; authorization not enrollment) · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · 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