Enrollment & Outcomes Scorecard
San Marcos Senior High
Public · Santa Barbara County · 1,941 students · Class of 2025
UC Reach · Class of 2025
34%
Higher than 77% of California high schools
+12.8 pp above peer median (20.8%)
· Ranked #3 of 10 similar schools
5-year UC Reach
2021 · 41.5%
2025 · 33.6%
-12%
Senior-class enrollment (2018–2026)
-15.5 pp
vs. Santa Barbara County baseline (+3%)
~1885
5-yr projected enrollment (56 fewer than today)
- ▸On UC Reach, San Marcos Senior High sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #3 of 10): 34% vs. a peer median of 21%.
- ▸Its UC Reach has risen 15 points since 2018.
- ▸Across the top-6 UC campuses, San Marcos Senior High is admitting at roughly +10 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (3.999) alone would predict (30% actual vs. 21% expected). That's a meaningful signal — it can reflect UC's track record with this school's graduates, students presenting strongly in UC's holistic review (essays, EC's, context), or institutional familiarity helping at the margin. The data can't distinguish which, but the pattern itself is real and worth understanding.
- ▸Senior-class enrollment is down 12% (586→514 from 2018 to 2026), tracking the peer-group median of -13%.
- ▸At its recent rate (-1.0%/yr), enrollment projects to ~1885 by 2029 — about 56 fewer students than today.
Most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | UC Reach | Enroll. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Senior High | Public | — | -17% |
| Dos Pueblos High School | Public | 45.6% | -10% |
| Ventura High School | Public | 20.8% | -14% |
| Newbury Park High School | Public | 26.7% | -20% |
| Hueneme High School | Public | 13.0% | -3% |
| Rio Mesa High School | Public | 10.1% | -3% |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class. Sources: UCOP Admissions by Source School, CDE enrollment, IRS Form 990, NCES F-33. Test Prep Gurus Intelligence by Test Prep Gurus · Methodology
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