Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Are you a student or parent at San Marcos Senior High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to San Marcos High available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe San Marcos High is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by San Marcos High students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at San Marcos High
- Every sports team you can join at San Marcos High
Let's get started!
Basic Information
San Marcos Senior High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Santa Barbara, CA in Santa Barbara County.
Based on its location, San Marcos High is classified as a school in a midsize suburb. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
San Marcos Senior High School4750 Hollister Ave. Santa Barbara, CA 93110-1921
Phone number: 8059674581
San Marcos Senior High School homepage: http://www.smroyals.org/
Principal: Ed BehrensEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at San Marcos Senior High School is 1942 students, making it a large high school, in the top 25% of all California high schools by size.
Attending San Marcos High will feel like attending a small college. You'll have a few hundred students in your class, enough to provide an interesting set of activities, sports, and classes to try. But compared to the largest high schools in California, the student body size won't be overwhelming.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is San Marcos Senior High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at San Marcos High has steadily increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 286 | 262 | 548 |
| 10th grade | 243 | 253 | 496 |
| 11th grade | 256 | 199 | 455 |
| 12th grade | 215 | 228 | 443 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 105 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Santa Barbara could be growing in population, thus sending more students into San Marcos High. Alternatively, San Marcos High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at San Marcos Senior High School?
From our statistics, San Marcos High has a 52:48 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
San Marcos High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Santa Barbara County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that San Marcos High doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at San Marcos Senior High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, San Marcos High has a somewhat homogenous student body, with the majority of students identifying as one ethnicity, but not representing over 70% of the student body. Most schools in California fit this profile, so San Marcos High isn't out of the ordinary. Most students attending class with you will be of the predominant ethnicity, but there will be meaningful diversity from other races.
The majority of students at San Marcos High are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and San Marcos High fits within this category.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.4% | 8 |
| Asian | 4.0% | 78 |
| Hispanic | 54.9% | 1068 |
| Black | 1.0% | 20 |
| White | 36.3% | 705 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 4 |
| Two or more races | 3.0% | 59 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Santa Barbara. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of San Marcos High Families
What are the family incomes of students at San Marcos Senior High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At San Marcos High, 5.5% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 37.6% qualify for free lunches.
This means San Marcos High has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, San Marcos High is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Santa Barbara is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 108 | 5.5% |
| Free lunches | 731 | 37.6% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 1103 | 56.7% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Santa Barbara and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
San Marcos High is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. San Marcos High is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that San Marcos High doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is San Marcos Senior High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at San Marcos High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other San Marcos High students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 38 referrals to law enforcement (22 male, 16 female), and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 1795 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
This means that 2.1 San Marcos High has minor safety issues. For every 100 students, there were just 2.1 law-enforcement related actions, but this is still higher than 75% of California schools.
With this record, is San Marcos Senior High School significantly different from other schools in the area? It could be that San Marcos High has an especially bad record, or it could be that the local area shows a pattern.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Santa Barbara Unified School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Pueblos Senior High | 14 | 0 | 2281 |
| La Cuesta Continuation High | 7 | 11 | 128 |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | 8 | 4 | 2165 |
| Santa Barbara Alternative | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dos Pueblos Charger Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| San Marcos Bridge | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at San Marcos Senior High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about San Marcos High's academics here.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for San Marcos Senior High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.
SAT Scores
As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.
We did in-depth research and found the average San Marcos Senior High School SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1570 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 305 at San Marcos High take the SAT.
This is an above-average SAT score, putting San Marcos Senior High School in the top 25% of all California high schools and well above the national average (63% of students score above the national average). This is a notable academic achievement that distinguishes San Marcos High as a high-achieving school.
This is a good indication that you'll receive an above-average education at San Marcos High. While your school isn't in the very top echelon of all California public schools, you're still in a great environment.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
| Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marcos High | 521 | 534 | 522 | 1570 |
| California | 498 | 510 | 496 | 1504 |
| United States | 495 | 511 | 484 | 1490 |
Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.
To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.
How good is 1570 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1570 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1570 or any other SAT score!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
ACT Scores
In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare San Marcos Senior High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.
At San Marcos High, the average ACT composite score was 25, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 111 out of 1942 total students take the ACT.
This is very good performance, putting San Marcos High in the top 25% of high schools in California by ACT score. Nationwide, a 24 on the ACT is 74th percentile, so most ACT test takers at San Marcos High are well above average.
Since the ACT is designed to gauge what you learn in school, high ACT scores are are a good indication that you'll get a great education and be surrounded by other students who value academic achievements.
Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for San Marcos High compared to California and the US:
Average ACT Scores
| Source | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marcos High | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| California | 21.8 | 22.8 | 22.3 | 21.7 |
| United States | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 |
Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.
Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.
Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give San Marcos Senior High School students credit for college.
Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.
AP Scores
Every year, roughly 422 students in grades 9-12 at San Marcos High take 762 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.
The average score of all AP exams taken at San Marcos High is 2.8 out of 5.
This score puts San Marcos High at average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the number of students who pass and don't pass are roughly even. This performance places San Marcos Senior High School in the top 50% of schools for AP tests.
It's great that San Marcos High offers an AP program so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Even though roughly half of all AP students here don't get a passing grade, half do - so with motivated studying throughout the year, you'll be able to beat the average.
We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:
AP Test-Taking Statistics
Another way to gauge the quality of a school's AP program is to see how many AP students actually took AP exams at San Marcos Senior High School. If a lot of students enroll in AP courses but don't actually take the AP tests, it can be a sign that students don't feel adequately prepared to take the test, or the school isn't encouraging students to take the exams enough.
At San Marcos High, there is a total enrollment of 251 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).
Of AP-taking students, 226 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 80 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 77 took AP courses but took NO tests.
This is good test participation. Most AP students at San Marcos Senior High School take the AP test for every one of their AP courses, outnumbering the students who take some or no AP exams. This is a good sign that students feel confident enough to take tests for all AP courses available to them, which reflects well on the teachers and course material. San Marcos High can continue to improve by reducing the number of students who take AP exams for some or none of their courses, but it's in a good state.
Note: The most recent data we have available is from 2012, so the statistics may have changed since then. Most likely, however, the trends are likely to continue - above average schools are likely to stay above average, and below average schools are likely to stay below average.
AP Passing Rates
For AP students at San Marcos Senior High School who take the exam, it's important to know how they do. Here we have specific data on how many students got a passing grade (a 3 or above) on all, some, or none of the AP exams that they took.
Of all AP test takers, 171 students passed every AP test they took, which is a fantastic job. 32 students passed some but not all AP exams, and 89 students didn't pass ANY AP exam they took.
This is very strong performance. The majority of San Marcos Senior High School students pass ALL the AP tests they take - an impressive feat, especially if students take multiple AP exams each year!
Overall, this points to a strong AP program at San Marcos High: across all AP course offerings, teachers are able to prepare students well for the exam. There are still some students who fail some or all of their exams, but this is a good starting point to improve from. You'll have a strong foundation to learn from throughout high school.
To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at San Marcos Senior High School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.
Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending San Marcos Senior High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If San Marcos High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at San Marcos High.
English/Language Arts
At San Marcos Senior High School, 65% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered good and puts San Marcos High in the top 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Most San Marcos High students pass or exceed state standards, though there is also a sizable portion of students who fail to meet state standards.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At San Marcos Senior High School, 37% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts San Marcos High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of San Marcos High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Academic Offerings
In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like San Marcos Senior High School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.
Brief Intro to AP/IB
AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at San Marcos High. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at San Marcos High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your San Marcos High AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.
So what advanced courses does San Marcos Senior High School offer?
AP Courses
San Marcos Senior High School offers AP courses in 24 subjects.
This is a huge number of AP subjects, putting San Marcos Senior High School in the top 5% of California schools in AP offerings. You'll be able to choose from the most popular AP courses as well as your pick of broader interests.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so San Marcos High is missing some subjects, but these are likely the least popular subjects, like some foreign languages and the new AP Research and Seminar courses. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at San Marcos High, ask your counselor for other options.
Of course, keep in mind that quantity doesn't automatically mean quality - it's important that the courses are taught well by effective teachers. But the strong AP program at San Marcos High likely means the classes are of high quality.
The following AP courses were offered at San Marcos High during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| Biology |
| Calculus AB |
| Calculus BC |
| Chemistry |
| Computer Science A |
| English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition |
| Environmental Science |
| European History |
| French Language and Culture |
| Latin |
| Macroeconomics |
| Microeconomics |
| Physics 1: Algebra-Based |
| Physics 2: Algebra-Based |
| Psychology |
| Spanish Language and Culture |
| Statistics |
| Studio Art: 2-D Design |
| Studio Art: 3-D Design |
| Studio Art: Drawing |
| United States Government and Politics |
| United States History |
| World History |
Sports Teams
Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at San Marcos Senior High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at San Marcos High.
By the way, the San Marcos Senior High mascot is the Royals. Go Royals!
San Marcos Senior High School fields 20 teams for girls' sports. This is an impressively high number that puts San Marcos High in the top 10% of California schools that offer girls' sports. If you're a female, you'll have plenty of options of sports and levels to try out for. Furthermore, schools that offer more teams typically have a strong sports culture and field competitive teams.
And now for the boys: San Marcos Senior High School fields 25 teams for boys' sports. Clearly San Marcos High has a strong sports culture - San Marcos High is in the top 10% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Boys will find plenty of options of sports at different levels to try out for. Because more teams usually also means more resources devoted to sports, you can also expect San Marcos High sports teams to be competitive.
| Boys Teams | Girls Teams |
|---|---|
| Lacrosse
Var
JV
|
Lacrosse
Var
|
| Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Golf
Var
|
Golf
Var
|
| Tennis
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
| Football
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Wrestling
Var
|
|
| Volleyball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Volleyball
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Baseball
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Softball
Var
JV
|
|
| Waterpolo
Var
JV
|
Waterpolo
Var
JV
|
| Trackfield
Var
|
Trackfield
Var
|
| Crosscountry
Var
JV
|
Crosscountry
Var
JV
|
| Soccer
Var
JV
Fr
|
Soccer
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Fieldhockey
Var
|
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- AP Course Ledger
- IBO.org