2026 Compare Cities Education:
Santa Maria, CA vs Atwater, CA

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Highlights
- Atwater spends 14.2% less per student than Santa Maria.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 5.7% higher in Atwater than in Santa Maria. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Atwater had 13.9% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Santa Maria
 Santa Maria, CAAtwater, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,332$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$13,158  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,391$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio21.01  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock61024573
 Students per Counselor539  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock15.6%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.10.0%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock70.9%88.9%
 Some College Educ.20.4%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock8.8%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.13.6%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock2.3%9.3%
 Professional Degree0.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock0.1%1.5%
Reviews for Santa Maria    12 Reviews

Over 7 years ago

I live in Orcutt which is a town of around 35,000 on the south side of Santa Maria. Santa Maria has, as everyone has noted, the best climate in the world. It never  More

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I have lived in Santa Maria / Orcutt for several years, but it is time to leave. I have no issues with the weather. Our climate is mild and comfortable with no extremes.  More

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The weather is very mild without a huge temperature change with the seasons. The winters are chilly but not cold and the summers are warm but not hot. Of course there  More

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Reviews for Atwater    7 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

I've lived in Atwater Village for the past 11 years. It's rated one of the best neighborhoods in Los Angeles and I am in complete agreement with that. I've seen it  More

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It went from hellhole to paradise in less than five years. Now, there are more places to shop and eat. What was a boring, open field is now a huge shopping center off of  More

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This is a Little town of about 28,000 people. All ages, mainly Spanish Speaking. There are not very many varities of Resturants, or of Good Quality. The Housing is  More

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