Enrollment
2,416
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Maria, CA
Ernest Righetti High
Federal NCES profile for Ernest Righetti High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063567006083
👥 S:T ratio 14
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ernest Righetti High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #3 of 4
- high schools in Santa Maria · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.6:1
- students per teacher
- 53.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Ernest Righetti High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ernest Righetti High ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Santa Maria, CA.
School address
District: Santa Maria Joint Union High · California
NCES ID 063567006083 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
112.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ernest Righetti High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ernest Righetti High
Ernest Righetti High is a higher-need, large high school in Santa Maria, California, enrolling 2,416 students.
At 21.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.8% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,416 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 259 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #155.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (75%) and White (18%) (diversity index 40/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 268 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Santa Maria's high schools, it stands alongside Santa Maria High (3,143 students): Ernest Righetti High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.6:1 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 Ernest Righetti 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 Ernest Righetti High compares
Ernest Righetti 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.8% | ▼ 3% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,416 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,416
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 49% in California - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
30.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 268 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 132 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 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 75.4%
White 17.6%
Asian 3.2%
Two or More 1.4%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 39.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 39.9, Ernest Righetti High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Maria Joint Union High, which includes Ernest Righetti 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 Ernest Righetti High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pioneer Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Delta High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ernest Righetti 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
- 291
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~2,416 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ernest Righetti High's federal record.
- Compare Ernest Righetti 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 Ernest Righetti High
How many students attend Ernest Righetti High?
Ernest Righetti High has 2,416 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ernest Righetti High?
The student-teacher ratio at Ernest Righetti High is 21.6:1, which is 0% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ernest Righetti High?
53.8% of students at Ernest Righetti High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ernest Righetti High?
The largest demographic group at Ernest Righetti High is Hispanic or Latino at 75.4% of enrollment, in Santa Maria, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ernest Righetti High?
Ernest Righetti High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ernest Righetti High rank among high schools in Santa Maria?
By Resource Investment Index, Ernest Righetti High ranks #3 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 Ernest Righetti High a good school?
Ernest Righetti High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Ernest Righetti High, Santa Maria Joint Union High also operates Santa Maria High (3,143 students), Pioneer Valley High (3,080 students), and Delta High (291 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.