Santa Maria Joint Union High: Santa Maria Joint Union High averages 40.6/100 — 4.3 points below the state average.
Santa Maria Joint Union High has 4 ranked schools across high levels with an average Scope Score of 40.6/100 — 4.3 points below the state average of 44.8. The highest-scoring school is Ernest Righetti High at 48/100, where 17.0% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $13,351 per student (below the state average of $14,815). Chronic absenteeism averages 31.6%, above the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.
Santa Maria Joint Union High's high schools average 40.6/100 — 3.1 points below the state average.
District Analysis
Santa Maria Joint Union High has 4 ranked schools with an average Scope Score of 40.6/100 — 4.3 points below the state average of 44.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Score range of 19.4 points — moderately consistent between schools.
District chronic absenteeism averages 31.6%, 13.6pp above the state average of 17.9%.
District suspension rate averages 4.0%, above the state average of 1.6%.
Ernest Righetti High leads the district at 48 with 17.0% exceeding standard.
How we score · Scope Score methodology
Student demographics
District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data
District Funding
Santa Maria Joint Union High spends $13,351 per student in current expenditures — $1,464 below the state average of $14,815.
Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020
Teacher compensation
CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25
Every school in Santa Maria Joint Union High
ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP
High Schools (4)
Santa Maria Joint Union High has 4 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 40.6 — 3.1 points below the state average of 43.7.
The highest-scoring high school is Ernest Righetti High with a Scope Score of 48 and 17.0% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ernest Righetti High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 17.0% | Developing 48/100 |
| 2 | Santa Maria High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 8.8% | Developing 43/100 |
| 3 | Pioneer Valley High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 11.1% | Developing 43/100 |
| 4 | Delta High Santa Maria Joint Union High Building Momentum | 0.5% | Needs Support 28/100 |
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.
Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology