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Santa Maria, California - 4 schools
An equity score of 50/100 ranks Santa Maria Joint Union High #751 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,167 per pupil, Santa Maria Joint Union High ranks #932 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
9,251
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$15,167
Per-Pupil Spending
High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Santa Maria Joint Union High operates 4 public schools serving 9,251 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Santa Barbara County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,167 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 32.8% local, 59.5% state, and 7.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 50/100, ranked #751 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (36 AP courses district-wide), a 296.9:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 23.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 90.3% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% White, 1.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ernest Righetti High, with a diversity index of 39.9/100.
Its largest campus is Santa Maria High, enrolling 3,143 students (35% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Delta High, at 291 students, a 11x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Santa Maria High accounts for 34.0% of all Santa Maria Joint Union High student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Santa Maria Joint Union High-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Santa Maria Joint Union High school enrollment varies 11× across entities
Santa Maria Joint Union High school enrollment ranges from 291 students (lowest) to 3,143 students (highest), a spread of 2,852 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Santa Maria Joint Union High has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 68.9% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Santa Maria Joint Union High student-counselor ratio is 297:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Santa Maria Joint Union High is typically wider than the Santa Maria Joint Union High-aggregate figure suggests.
Santa Maria Joint Union High chronic absenteeism rate is 23.7% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Santa Maria Joint Union High is typically wider than the Santa Maria Joint Union High-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Santa Maria Joint Union High?
Santa Maria Joint Union High has 4 schools, including 4 high. Total enrollment is 9,251 students.
How much does Santa Maria Joint Union High spend per student?
Santa Maria Joint Union High spends $15,167 per student. The district has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #751 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Santa Maria Joint Union High?
Santa Maria Joint Union High students are 90.3% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% White, 1.7% Asian, 0.7% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Santa Maria Joint Union High?
Santa Maria Joint Union High has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #751 out of 1517 districts in California.