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Santa Ynez Valley Union High · Solvang

Santa Ynez Valley Union High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Santa Ynez Valley Union posts 49% meeting the standard against 36% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

2975 Mission Drive, 93460 (opens in new tab)·Santa Ynez Valley Union High·Solvang·Grades 9-12·801 students·27% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 688-6487·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5144
% Exceeded20%16%
% Met+49%36%
Grad rate97.7%87.6%
College readiness39.5%35.4%
Absence20.7%30.2%
Suspension3.8%3.6%
Scope Score
51
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #744 statewide

Santa Ynez Valley Union High scores 51 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 66th 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 “49% proficient” and call it done. Santa Ynez Valley Union deserves a closer read. The school sits in Solvang, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Santa Ynez Valley Union's low-income kids hit 51.7% 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 stayed near the 66th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 49% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1166%71%69%46%61%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1139%40%41%29%38%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
49%
State 36%
Graduate
98%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
40%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 49 are proficient by 11th grade → 98 graduate → 40 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

51.7%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Santa Ynez Valley Union's most underrated number

51.7% 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 Ynez Valley Union low-income: 51.7%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
97.7%
State 87.6%
10.1pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
19.9%
State 15.8%
4.1pp above state avg
College readiness
39.5%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
49.5%
State 35.7%
13.8pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
20.7%
State 30.2%
9.5pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.8%
State 3.6%
0.2pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
4.5%
State 18.0%
13.4pp below 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 Ynez Valley Union High in Solvang, 51.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 52.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Ynez Valley Union High trails its district average for low-income students by 0.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (23.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 52.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 60 students tested.

All students at this school: 49% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 49%, district —, state 36%49%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 40%, district 39%, state 32%40% · −9 vs school
MaleMale: this school 43%, district 43%, state 42%43% · −6 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 57%, district 55%, state 44%57% · +7 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 64%, district 64%, state 56%64% · +15 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 38%, district 38%, state 32%38% · −12 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 6%, district 6%, state 15%6% · −43 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: too few students to report‹11
English LearnersEnglish Learners: too few students to report‹11
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
HomelessHomeless: 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 20.7%, district 20.7%, state 30.2%20.7% · −9.5pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 3.8%, district —, state 3.6%3.8% · +0.2pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1219.8%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 20:1, district 19:120:1
Teaching staff45 teachers
Avg. experience16.6 years
Fully credentialed88%
First-year teachers4%
Intern / emergency permit1.3%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$58,156 – $113,836
Principal salary$0 – $0
Superintendent salary$220,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered23
AP exam qualifiers64 students
CTE pathway completers62 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $19,061, CA average $14,815$19,061 · spent at this school
Federal share$183 per student

$183 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$19,933 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
Instruction49%
Instruction support6%
Student services11%
Administration11%
Buildings & maintenance16%
Other7%

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$15,767 per pupil
2019$14,248 per pupil
2018$13,573 per pupil
2017$12,514 per pupil
2016$12,327 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic50.1%
District 50.5% · CA 56.1%
White44.7%
District 44.1% · CA 19.9%
Other4.6%
District 4.8% · CA 9.0%
Black0.4%
District 0.4% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.3%
District 0.2% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 27.1% (37pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$114K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.21M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+35% · CA 35%
ZIP population6,039
Median age42 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 39% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Ynez Valley Union High a good high school?

Santa Ynez Valley Union High has a Scope Score of 51 out of 100, placing it in the 66th percentile of California high schools and ranked #744 statewide. 19.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.1 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 Ynez Valley Union High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 49.5% of students at Santa Ynez Valley Union High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 19.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 29.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 19.9% 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. 382 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Santa Ynez Valley Union High rank in California?

Santa Ynez Valley Union High ranks #744 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 66th 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 Ynez Valley Union High?

20.7% of students at Santa Ynez Valley Union 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 3.8%. 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 Ynez Valley Union High compare to other schools in Solvang?

Santa Ynez Valley Union High scores 51/100 (66th 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 801 students. Use the schools in Solvang page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Santa Ynez Valley Union High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Santa Ynez Valley Union High in Solvang, 51.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 52.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Ynez Valley Union High trails its district average for low-income students by 0.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (23.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 52.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 60 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 Solvang →

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%
97.7%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 62th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
19.9%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 54th pctile
College readiness · 20%
39.5%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 52th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
49.5%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 60th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
20.7%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 58th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.8%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 49th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
4.5%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 32th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1119128%33%19%19%61%+14
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1119112%26%22%40%38%+14
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1119310%30%56%4%

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 Disadvantaged6051.7%−1+13
Hispanic/Latino11152.3%+1+13
White7074.3%+0+12
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Santa Ynez Valley Union High ←—5119.9%49.5%—3.8%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
97.7%
AP Exam Prepared
39.5%
A-G Completion
47.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
78.5%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195571#58620.6%52.2%10.3%5.7%—
20225679#44724.6%55.6%26.9%3.8%—
20235476#51223.0%54.9%21.0%6.1%—
20244964#76215.5%38.0%20.2%4.3%—
20255166#74419.9%49.5%20.7%3.8%—
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
Female10.8%22.3%+11.5pp
Male7.6%17.6%+10.0pp
Hispanic/Latino9.3%20.2%+10.9pp
Two or More Races11.8%11.8%+0.0pp
Students with Disabilities16.2%30.8%+14.6pp
English Learners16.1%29.2%+13.1pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged11.3%23.5%+12.2pp
All Students9.2%19.8%+10.6pp
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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