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Public school district · California

Santa Maria-Bonita.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across Santa Maria-Bonita—and look beyond a single district average.

Bill Libbon ElementaryOntiveros (Juan Pacifico) ElementarySanchez (David J.) ElementaryArellanes (Don Juan Bautista) ElementaryLiberty ElementaryMiller (Isaac) ElementaryOakley (Calvin C.) ElementaryFairlawn ElementaryBruce (Robert) ElementaryBonita ElementaryRice (William) ElementaryAlvin ElementaryBattles (Washington) ElementaryJiménez Roberto and Dr. Francisco ElementaryTaylor (Ida Redmond) ElementaryTunnell (Martin Luther) ElementaryAdam (William Laird) ElementarySanta Maria-BonitaN ↑
17 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
Elementary schools at a glance
Elementary17 schools
avg 24.1/10011 Needs Support, 5 Developing, +1 more

Elementary schools are scored on their own scale — never ranked against other levels.

The elementary years

26 points separate Bill Libbon Elementary (40) from Adam (William Laird) Elementary (14) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

17 elementary schools span 26 points around an average of 24.1.

The strength

3 of the 16 elementary schools with measurable cohort evidence meet the stronger cohort-gains threshold — aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold.

The catch

11 of 17 elementary schools sit in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.

59th percentile · SolidScope Score 40/100
43rd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 33/100
38th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 31/100

All 17 elementary schools, ranked, in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

The 26-point spread means the district average is nearly meaningless for an address decision — the zoned elementary school is the whole decision. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Bill Libbon Elementary at 40/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.

If you already live here

No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — 3 campuses here rank as Growth Engine, their aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring campus:

Bill Libbon Elementary 59th percentile · SolidScope Score 40/100

The top scorer district-wide — confirm enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

Santa Maria-Bonita has 17 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

Elementary schools

Explore elementary →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

17 comparable schools · average 24.1/100 · range 13.8–39.7

Explore Santa Maria-Bonita by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
Santa Maria-Bonitathis district24.1 / 10017Bill Libbon Elementary—
Santa Maria Joint Union High48.3 / 1003Ernest Righetti High2.0 mi
Orcutt Union Elementary37.4 / 1007Joe Nightingale Elementary5.2 mi
Blochman Union Elementary41.0 / 1003Family Partnership Charter5.6 mi
Lucia Mar Unified41.5 / 1006Central Coast New Tech High7.5 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What patterns appear here?

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

A school can appear in more than one count. Findings describe reported results, not school quality or fit; available evidence differs by level.

Schools in Santa Maria-Bonita

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

Elementary schools in Santa Maria-Bonita · 17 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Bill Libbon Elementary
Santa Maria-Bonita Growth Engine
9.4%59th percentile · SolidScope Score 40/100
Ontiveros (Juan Pacifico) Elementary
Santa Maria-Bonita
16.2%43rd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 33/100
Sanchez (David J.) Elementary
Santa Maria-Bonita Growth Engine
8.6%38th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 31/100
Arellanes (Don Juan Bautista) Elementary
Santa Maria-Bonita
8.2%34th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 29/100
Liberty Elementary
Santa Maria-Bonita Growth Engine
5.1%29th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 28/100
Miller (Isaac) Elementary
Santa Maria-Bonita
5.7%26th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 27/100
Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

Santa Maria-Bonita spent $20,317 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 66 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction66%
  • Instruction support13%
  • Student services11%
  • Administration4%
  • Buildings & maintenance7%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$64,227–$128,272
Teaching staff924 · FTE
District enrollment16,665 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 95.7% · White 1.9% · Black 0.2% · Asian 0.3% · Other 2.0%
Free/reduced lunch94% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond Santa Maria-Bonita?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Know what you’re comparing.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 17 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in Santa Maria-Bonita?
This SchoolScope directory lists 17 public schools in Santa Maria-Bonita with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.
Which schools have the highest scores in Santa Maria-Bonita?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Bill Libbon Elementary (40/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.
Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?
Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.
Does living in Santa Maria-Bonita guarantee a particular school?
A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.
What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?
Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.
Where do these results come from?
The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.