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Best Schools in Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara, CA has 58 public schools (9 high, 6 middle, 33 elementary) serving 23,008 students. On average they score 45% on state proficiency tests against a projected 41%, so schools in Santa Barbara exceed expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in Santa Barbara, CA
The top high schools in Santa Barbara, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Dos Pueblos Senior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2034 Students
2. Santa Ynez Valley Union High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Ynez Valley Union High • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 847 Students
3. San Marcos Senior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2020 Students
4. Carpinteria Senior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Carpinteria Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 653 Students
5. Santa Barbara Senior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2107 Students
6. Alta Vista Alternative High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 117 Students
7. La Cuesta Continuation High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 80 Students
8. Santa Barbara County Community
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara County Office Of Education • Public • Grades 5 - 12 • 9 Students
9. Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara County Office Of Education • Public • Grades 5 - 12 • 19 Students
Best Middle Schools in Santa Barbara, CA
The top middle schools in Santa Barbara, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. La Colina Junior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 900 Students
2. Goleta Valley Junior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 717 Students
3. La Cumbre Junior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 458 Students
4. Carpinteria Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Carpinteria Unified • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 406 Students
5. Santa Barbara Junior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 560 Students
6. Alta Vista
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Barbara Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 7 Students
Best Elementary Schools in Santa Barbara, CA
The top elementary schools in Santa Barbara, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Cold Spring Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Cold Spring Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 193 Students
2. Montecito Union
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Montecito Union Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 353 Students
3. Mountain View Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Goleta Union Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 352 Students
4. Foothill Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Goleta Union Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 374 Students
5. Summerland Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Carpinteria Unified • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 50 Students
6. Monte Vista Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Hope Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 270 Students
7. Peabody Charter
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Peabody Charter District • Charter • Grades KG - 6 • 767 Students
8. Vieja Valley Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Hope Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 300 Students
9. Kellogg Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Goleta Union Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 409 Students
10. Hope Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Hope Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 269 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in Santa Barbara, CA
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
Santa Barbara, CA has a total population of 121,769 with 24% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 90%, and 50% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in Santa Barbara, CA
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood Santa Barbara, CA.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
27.97 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
6.15 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
21.82 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in Santa Barbara, CA.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for Santa Barbara, CA.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit Santa Barbara, CA Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in Santa Barbara, CA
How many schools are in Santa Barbara, CA?
Santa Barbara, CA has 58 public schools: 9 high schools, 6 middle schools and 33 elementary schools, serving 23,008 students in total.
How do schools in Santa Barbara perform on state tests?
On average, 58 schools in Santa Barbara score 45% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 41%, so on average schools in Santa Barbara exceed expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in Santa Barbara?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near Santa Barbara, CA
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 51%
- Projected: 44%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 51%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 51%
- Projected: 42%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 47%
- Projected: 42%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 51%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 43%
- Projected: 34%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 42%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 34%
- Projected: 37%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
- Actual: 35%
- Projected: 38%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
- Actual: 30%
- Projected: 43%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
Every school in Santa Barbara
31 of 33 schools in Santa Barbara carry a SchoolGrade (2 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:
A: 10B: 9C: 6D: 3F: 3
All 33 public schools we grade in Santa Barbara. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
High schools (4)
- Alta Vista Alternative High
- La Cuesta Continuation High
- San Marcos Senior High
- Santa Barbara Senior High
Middle and junior high schools (3)
Elementary and primary schools (15)
- Adams Elementary
- Cleveland Elementary
- Cold Spring Elementary
- El Camino Elementary
- Foothill Elementary
- Franklin Elementary
- Hollister Elementary
- Hope Elementary
- Mckinley Elementary
- Monroe Elementary
- Monte Vista Elementary
- Mountain View Elementary
- Roosevelt Elementary
- Vieja Valley Elementary
- Washington Elementary
Other schools and academies (11)
- Adelante Charter
- Alta Vista
- Harding University Partnership
- Montecito Union
- Olive Grove Charter Santa Barbara
- Peabody Charter
- Santa Barbara Community Academy
- Santa Barbara County Community
- Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court
- Santa Barbara County Special Education
- Trivium Charter School Voyage
Private schools (12)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.
- Anacapa School
- Bishop Garcia Diego High School
- Crane Country Day School
- Laguna Blanca School
- Notre Dame School
- Providence School
- Providence School
- Santa Barbara Middle School
- St Therese Classical Academy
- Sunrise Montessori School
- The Knox School Of Santa Barbara
- The Riviera Ridge School