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Bell Street Los AlamosPhoto: NHRHS2010 · CC BY-SA 3.0
B
Schools in Los Alamos · Orcutt Union Elementary School District, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District

Los Alamos’s public schools outscore 62% of California districts

The grade covers the two public school districts serving Los Alamos, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. 27% of students in Los Alamos’s public schools are proficient in math, below the California average (33%). Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within California, not nationally.

K–12Where will my kid go?

From California state tests taken in spring 2022, when 95% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
44%
▼ 3 pts vs CA 47%
2021–22
Math proficiency
27%
▼ 6 pts vs CA 33%
2021–22
Graduate on time
93%
▲ 7 pts vs CA 86%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$19.7K
▼ 7% vs CA $21.2K
FY2024 · Santa Maria Joint Union High
Students per teacher
22.7
CA 21.6 · larger classes
Schools in town
1
8,809 students on the public path
In brief

Los Alamos’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 542 California towns with household incomes within a quarter of Los Alamos’s, its schools beat 75%, higher than their 62% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2022, 44% of tested students were proficient in reading and 27% in math, against 47% and 33% statewide; 95% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

93% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 86% across California. Districts ↓

Spending and class size

Orcutt Union Elementary spends $15,054 per student and Santa Maria Joint Union High $19,746, against $21,206 across California (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Los Alamos’s grade

B− Test scoresB+ Graduation

B: better than 62% of California school districts. Graduation is above the California average; test scores are below it.

California school districts we grade (1,872)Better than 62%
Lower resultsHigher results
California towns with similar household incomes (542)Better than 75%
BB+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 5,051 test results and a graduating class of 2,347 could put Los Alamos anywhere from B to B+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 95% of Los Alamos’s students in the tested grades sat them (5,064 in math, 5,039 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Los Alamos, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
K–8Olga L. Reed ElementaryOrcutt Union Elementary School DistrictNo scores
9–123 high schoolsDepends on your addressNo scores

Los Alamos runs its own schools through grade 12 (Orcutt Union Elementary School District). From grade 9, students attend the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, shared with Guadalupe and Santa Maria. Its high school is in Santa Maria. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Two districts serve Los Alamos

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Orcutt Union Elementary School DistrictGrades K–12 · 10 schools · 4,911 students, up 1% since 2020–21 · 24.9 per teacher (CA 21.6)
$15,054CA $21,206 · FY2024
B+
Santa Maria Joint Union High School DistrictGrades 9–12 · 4 schools · 8,930 students · 21.7 per teacher (CA 21.6)
$19,746CA $21,206 · FY2024
C+
Test scores · 2021–22

Below the state in reading

Reading · K–12, Orcutt Union Elementary School District49%
State average 46.7% · 2964 students tested
Math · K–12, Orcutt Union Elementary School District35%
State average 33.1% · 2965 students tested
Reading · 9–12, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District37%
State average 46.7% · 2075 students tested
Math · 9–12, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District15%
State average 33.1% · 2099 students tested

Los Alamos vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the California towns that share Los Alamos’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Los AlamosBOrcutt Union Elementary K–12 · Santa Maria Joint Union High 9–12

Every school in Los Alamos

4 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Los Alamosby address
Olga L. Reed Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–8
170 students24:1Rate it →
Also serving Los Alamosin other towns
Santa Maria High
High · Grades 9–12 · Santa Maria
3,143 students22:1Rate it →
Pioneer Valley High
High · Grades 9–12 · Santa Maria
3,080 students22:1Rate it →
Ernest Righetti High
High · Grades 9–12 · Santa Maria
2,416 students21:1Rate it →

Questions about Los Alamos’s schools

Are Los Alamos’s schools good?

They sit near the middle of California: the public schools Los Alamos children attend outscore 62% of California’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 75%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Los Alamos in?

Two districts: Orcutt Union Elementary School District runs grades K–12, and Santa Maria Joint Union High School District runs grades 9–12, shared with Guadalupe and Santa Maria.

Where do Los Alamos kids go to high school?

One of 3 high schools, depending on your address: Santa Maria High, Pioneer Valley High and Ernest Righetti High.

What is Los Alamos’s graduation rate?

93% of the class of 2023 in Santa Maria Joint Union High School District graduated in four years, against 86% across California.

How much does Los Alamos spend per student?

$15,054 in Orcutt Union Elementary School District and $19,746 in Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (FY2024), against $21,206 across California. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Los Alamos families are saying about school.

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School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within California. Stars are from neighbors.