Santa Barbara Unified School District

720 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2232
(District boundaries shown in map)
7/
10
Top 50%

Top Rankings

Santa Barbara Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2024 school year, there are 5 public high schools serving 6,437 students in Santa Barbara Unified School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 8/10, which is in the top 30% of public high schools in California.
Public High Schools in Santa Barbara Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 34% (versus the California public high school average of 28%), and reading proficiency score of 52% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Santa Barbara Unified School District have a Graduation Rate of 95%, which is more than the California average of 87%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Santa Barbara Senior High School, with 97% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in California or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 64% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the California public high school average of 78% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
21 Schools
2,822 Schools
# Students
12,849 Students
2,204,488 Students
# Teachers
647 Teachers
101,134 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
20:1
20:1

District Rank

Santa Barbara Unified School District, which is ranked #665 of all 1,939 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 95% has increased from 88% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#663 out of 1941 school districts
(Top 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Santa Barbara Unified  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
36%
33%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Santa Barbara Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
48%
47%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Santa Barbara Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
33%
29%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Santa Barbara Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
95%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Santa Barbara Unified  School District and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.54
0.64
# American Indian Students
34 Students
11,449 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
384 Students
253,526 Students
% Asian Students
3%
12%
# Hispanic Students
7,730 Students
1,210,385 Students
% Hispanic Students
60%
55%
# Black Students
90 Students
118,812 Students
% Black Students
1%
5%
# White Students
4,012 Students
492,294 Students
% White Students
31%
22%
# Hawaiian Students
9 Students
9,615 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
575 Students
103,544 Students
% of Two or more races Students
5%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
18
# Students in K Grade:
550
24,378
# Students in 1st Grade:
432
22,510
# Students in 2nd Grade:
521
23,295
# Students in 3rd Grade:
499
23,310
# Students in 4th Grade:
527
23,453
# Students in 5th Grade:
543
23,769
# Students in 6th Grade:
546
31,687
# Students in 7th Grade:
1,348
40,948
# Students in 8th Grade:
1,446
43,682
# Students in 9th Grade:
1,514
484,137
# Students in 10th Grade:
1,613
494,853
# Students in 11th Grade:
1,599
478,576
# Students in 12th Grade:
1,711
489,872
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $18,454 in this school district is less than the state median of $19,801. The school district revenue/student has grown by 12% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $18,462 is higher than the state median of $18,236. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$237 MM
$116,387 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Santa Barbara Unified  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$237 MM
$107,188 MM
This chart displays total spending of Santa Barbara Unified  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$18,454
$19,801
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Santa Barbara Unified  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$18,462
$18,236
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Santa Barbara Unified  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Santa Barbara Unified School District Public High Schools (2024)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Dos Pueblos Senior High School
(Math: 47% | Reading: 70%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
7266 Alameda Ave.
Goleta, CA 93117
(805) 968-2541
Grades: 9-12
| 2,020 students
Rank: #22.
Alta Vista Alternative High School
Alternative School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
215 E. Ortega St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 966-0883
Grades: 9-12
| 126 students
Rank: #33.
San Marcos Senior High School
(Math: 28% | Reading: 50%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
4750 Hollister Ave.
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
(805) 967-4581
Grades: 9-12
| 1,998 students
Rank: #44.
Santa Barbara Senior High School
(Math: 24% | Reading: 33%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
700 E. Anapamu St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
(805) 966-9101
Grades: 9-12
| 2,178 students
Rank: #55.
La Cuesta Continuation High School
Alternative School
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: ≤20%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
710 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 966-0883
Grades: 9-12
| 115 students

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Quick Stats (2024)

  • District size: 21 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 12,849 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 20:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 69%
  • : 95% (Top 30% in CA)
  • : Top 50%
  • : 36% (Top 50%)
  • : 48% (Top 50%)
  • : 33% (Top 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

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