ExploreMapCompareBlogSign in

Public school district · California

Santa Maria Joint Union High.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across Santa Maria Joint Union High—and look beyond a single district average.

Ernest Righetti HighSanta Maria HighPioneer Valley HighDelta HighSanta Maria Joint Union HighN ↑
4 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
High schools at a glance
High4 schools
avg 43.6/1003 Developing, 1 Strong

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

The high school years

The high schools average 43.6/100 — 10.4 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

4 high schools span 22 points around an average of 43.6.

1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.

The strength

Ernest Righetti High is the strongest option at 52/100 — 17.0% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

31.6% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

Ernest Righetti High
No highlighted pattern
46th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 52/100
Santa Maria High
On the Rise
30th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 47/100
Pioneer Valley High
No highlighted pattern
29th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 47/100

All 4 high schools, ranked, in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

Scores here cluster within 22 points, so the address decides less than it does in most districts. Ernest Righetti High tops the list at 52/100 — still worth confirming the exact zone before you commit.

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 — 1 campus here ranks as On the Rise, its aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold. Ask your school two questions: what it is doing about attendance, and what the classroom looks like for a kid who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring campus:

Ernest Righetti High 46th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 52/100

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 Joint Union High has 4 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.

High schools

Explore high →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

3 comparable schools · average 48.3/100 · range 46.7–51.5

Explore Santa Maria Joint Union High by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
Santa Maria Joint Union Highthis district48.3 / 1003Ernest Righetti High—
Orcutt Union Elementary37.4 / 1007Joe Nightingale Elementary2.7 mi
Santa Maria-Bonita24.1 / 10017Bill Libbon Elementary2.8 mi
Blochman Union Elementary41.0 / 1003Family Partnership Charter3.0 mi
Lucia Mar Unified40.9 / 1005Central Coast New Tech High9.5 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 Joint Union High

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

Map ↗

High schools in Santa Maria Joint Union High · 4 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Ernest Righetti High
Santa Maria Joint Union High
17.0%46th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 52/100
Santa Maria High
Santa Maria Joint Union High On the Rise
8.8%30th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 47/100
Pioneer Valley High
Santa Maria Joint Union High
11.1%29th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 47/100
Delta High
Santa Maria Joint Union High continuation high school
0.5%80th percentile · StrongWithin its own school classScope Score 29/100
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 Joint Union High spent $21,560 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 50 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

  • Instruction50%
  • Instruction support16%
  • Student services12%
  • Administration6%
  • Buildings & maintenance13%
  • Other3%

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$60,030–$130,373
Teaching staff486 · FTE
District enrollment8,953 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 90.2% · White 6.2% · Black 0.7% · Asian 0.6% · Other 2.2%
Free/reduced lunch71% · 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 Joint Union High?

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 · 4 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 Joint Union High?
This SchoolScope directory lists 4 public schools in Santa Maria Joint Union High 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 Joint Union High?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: High: Ernest Righetti High (52/100). 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 Joint Union High 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.