Enrollment & Outcomes Scorecard
San Marcos Senior High
Public · Santa Barbara County · 1,941 students · Class of 2025
UC Reach Score · Class of 2025
34
Above average
top 25% in California
Higher than 78% of California high schools
+12.8 pp above peer median (21)
· Ranked #3 of 10 similar schools
5-year UC Reach Score
2021 · 42
2025 · 34
-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 Score, San Marcos Senior High sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #3 of 10): 34 vs. a peer median of 21.
- ▸San Marcos Senior High's UC Reach Score has stepped down from a peak of 42 in 2023 to 34 in 2025 — a 8-point decline worth tracking.
- ▸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 Score | Enroll. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Senior High | Public | — | -17% |
| Dos Pueblos High School | Public | 46 | -10% |
| Ventura High School | Public | 21 | -14% |
| Newbury Park High School | Public | 27 | -20% |
| Hueneme High School | Public | 13 | -3% |
| Rio Mesa High School | Public | 10 | -3% |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class. Sources: UCOP Admissions by Source School, CDE enrollment, IRS Form 990, NCES F-33. Reach — by Test Prep Gurus · Methodology
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