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Santa Paula High · Santa Paula

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

Santa Paula posts 35% meeting the standard and 11.1% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

404 North Sixth Street, 93060 (opens in new tab)·Santa Paula Unified·Santa Paula·Grades 9-12·1,494 students·84% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 525-4400·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4944
% Exceeded11%16%
% Met+35%36%
Grad rate98.3%87.6%
College readiness58.6%35.4%
Absence20.3%30.2%
Suspension5.8%3.6%
Scope Score
49
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #825 statewide · #1 of 3 in Santa Paula Unified

Santa Paula High scores 49 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 62nd 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 “35% proficient” and call it done. Santa Paula deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Paula, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Santa Paula's low-income kids hit 49.1% 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

Slipped from the 72nd to the 62nd percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 35% meet the standard today, versus 44% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1158%38%45%48%52%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1129%16%15%16%18%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
35%
State 36%
Graduate
98%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
59%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 35 are proficient by 11th grade → 98 graduate → 59 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

49.1%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Santa Paula's most underrated number

49.1% 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 Paula low-income: 49.1%State low-income: 38.2%Santa Paula EL: 12.8%State EL: 10.4%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
98.3%
State 87.6%
10.7pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
11.1%
State 15.8%
4.8pp below state avg
College readiness
58.6%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
34.7%
State 35.7%
1.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
20.3%
State 30.2%
9.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
5.8%
State 3.6%
2.2pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
15.8%
State 18.0%
2.1pp 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 whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • 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 Paula High in Santa Paula, 49.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Paula High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 16.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (51.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 39.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 291 students tested.

All students at this school: 35% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 35%, district —, state 36%35%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 34%, district 28%, state 32%34% · −1 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 33%, district 27%, state 32%33% · −2 vs school
MaleMale: this school 32%, district 28%, state 42%32% · −3 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 38%, district 29%, state 44%38% · +3 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 6%, district 8%, state 11%6% · −28 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 8%, district 6%, state 15%8% · −27 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 26%, district 21%, state 22%26% · −8 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 59%, district 42%, state 56%59% · +24 vs school
FilipinoFilipino: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 20.3%, district 23.4%, state 30.2%20.3% · −9.9pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 5.8%, district —, state 3.6%5.8% · +2.2pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1219.8%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Santa Paula High
49/100
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 22:1, district 21:122:1
Teaching staff86 teachers
Avg. experience10.2 years
Fully credentialed91%
First-year teachers5%
Intern / emergency permit1.7%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$64,531 – $111,310
Principal salary$139,492 – $157,964
Superintendent salary$265,582

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered27
AP exam qualifiers119 students
CTE pathway completers44 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $23,680, CA average $14,815$23,680 · spent at this school
Federal share$111 per student

$111 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,571 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
Instruction61%
Instruction support11%
Student services8%
Administration9%
Buildings & maintenance10%
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$15,290 per pupil
2019$14,479 per pupil
2018$14,021 per pupil
2017$13,710 per pupil
2016$12,803 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic96.2%
District 94.7% · CA 56.1%
White2.7%
District 3.9% · CA 19.9%
Other0.9%
District 0.8% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.1%
District 0.3% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 83.5% (20pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$81K · CA $85K
Median home value$635K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+16% · CA 35%
ZIP population34,501
Median age36 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 21% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Paula High a good high school?

Santa Paula High has a Scope Score of 49 out of 100, placing it in the 62nd percentile of California high schools and ranked #825 statewide. 11.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.8 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 Santa Paula High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 34.7% of students at Santa Paula High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.1% 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. 677 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Santa Paula High rank in California?

Santa Paula High ranks #825 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 62nd 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 Paula High?

20.3% of students at Santa Paula 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 5.8%. 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 Paula High compare to other schools in Santa Paula?

Santa Paula High scores 49/100 (62nd 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 1,494 students. Use the schools in Santa Paula page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

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

At Santa Paula High in Santa Paula, 49.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Paula High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 16.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (51.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 39.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 291 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

All schools in Santa Paula →

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%
98.3%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 63th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
11.1%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 45th pctile
College readiness · 20%
58.6%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 63th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
34.7%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
20.3%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 58th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
5.8%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 40th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
15.8%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 49th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1133816%36%29%19%52%+5
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 113396%12%25%57%18%−6
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/113455%16%71%9%

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 Disadvantaged29149.1%+16+11
Hispanic/Latino32651.2%+17+12
English Learners4712.8%+4+2
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Santa Paula High ←—4911.1%34.7%—5.8%
Renaissance High0.3 mi261.4%2.7%—9.1%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
98.3%
AP Exam Prepared
58.6%
A-G Completion
49.0%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
77.0%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195672#56715.4%43.6%9.1%5.1%—
20224861#8137.3%27.4%27.4%5.0%—
20234864#7719.2%30.2%23.2%5.3%—
20244862#8097.7%31.8%23.8%5.3%—
20254962#82511.1%34.7%20.3%5.8%—
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
Female8.0%19.7%+11.7pp
Male8.6%19.9%+11.3pp
Hispanic/Latino8.3%20.0%+11.7pp
Students with Disabilities22.9%31.1%+8.2pp
English Learners12.0%25.6%+13.6pp
Homeless11.8%29.5%+17.7pp
Military-Connected3.6%18.8%+15.2pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged8.8%21.1%+12.3pp
All Students8.3%19.8%+11.5pp
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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