Enrollment
291
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Maria, CA
Delta High
Federal NCES profile for Delta High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063567006082
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Delta High earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 4
- high schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.4:1
- small classes for California
- 76.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Delta High has class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Delta High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Santa Maria, CA.
School address
District: Santa Maria Joint Union High · California
NCES ID 063567006082 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Delta High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Delta High
Delta High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Santa Maria, California, enrolling 291 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 291 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,152 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #694.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Among Santa Maria's high schools, it stands alongside Santa Maria High (3,143 students): Delta High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.4:1 vs 22.4:1).
Santa Maria Joint Union High also operates Santa Maria High (3,143 students) and Pioneer Valley High (3,080 students) alongside Delta High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Delta High compares
Delta High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.2% | ▲ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 291 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.4:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
291
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.4:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 30% in California - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$15,167
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 94.2%
White 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.1, Delta High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Maria Joint Union High, which includes Delta High.
$15,167
Per student
-8%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.8%
State 59.5%
Federal 7.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Delta High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pioneer Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ernest Righetti High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Delta High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,143
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 3,080
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,416
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar high schools in Santa Maria
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~291 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Delta High's federal record.
- Compare Delta High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Maria Joint Union High's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Delta High
How many students attend Delta High?
Delta High has 291 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Delta High?
The student-teacher ratio at Delta High is 19.4:1, which is 10% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Delta High?
76.2% of students at Delta High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Delta High?
The largest demographic group at Delta High is Hispanic or Latino at 94.2% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Delta High?
Delta High has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Delta High rank among high schools in Santa Maria?
By Resource Investment Index, Delta High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Santa Maria, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Santa Maria on the city page.
Is Delta High a good school?
Delta High earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Santa Maria Joint Union High?
Besides Delta High, Santa Maria Joint Union High also operates Santa Maria High (3,143 students), Pioneer Valley High (3,080 students), and Ernest Righetti High (2,416 students). See the Santa Maria Joint Union High district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.