Elementary Schools in Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara students aren't just reaching proficiency — many go beyond it.
Santa Barbara, California has 21 ranked elementary schools with an average Scope Score of 49.9/100 — 11.0 points above the state average of 38.9. The highest-scoring school is Cold Spring Elementary at 97/100, where 83.9% of students exceed the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment. Santa Barbara schools average 32.9% exceeded standard (state: 21.4%) — this exceeded-vs-met distinction shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. Of 21 schools, 1 Growth Engine and 2 High Ceiling stand out for their performance profiles. Chronic absenteeism averages 13.5% (below the state average of 17.9%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
Start with your child’s school level
The overview describes elementary schools. The lists below separate elementary, middle and high schools, so each school’s standing stays within its own comparison group. Open a profile to see the underlying results, student support and questions to ask on a visit.
Every school in Santa Barbara
ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP · levels never mixed
Elementary Schools (21)
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold Spring Elementary Cold Spring Elementary | 83.9% | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 97/100 |
| 2 | Montecito Union Montecito Union Elementary | 69.1% | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 89/100 |
| 3 | Foothill Elementary Goleta Union Elementary | 48.5% | 92nd percentile · StrongScope Score 67/100 |
| 4 | Mountain View Elementary Goleta Union Elementary | 54.2% | 92nd percentile · StrongScope Score 67/100 |
| 5 | Monte Vista Elementary Hope Elementary | 48.5% | 89th percentile · StrongScope Score 62/100 |
| 6 | Adelante Charter Santa Barbara Unified | 26.0% | 82nd percentile · StrongScope Score 55/100 |
| 7 | Peabody Charter Santa Barbara Unified | 41.8% | 82nd percentile · StrongScope Score 55/100 |
| 8 | Vieja Valley Elementary Hope Elementary | 35.0% | 81st percentile · StrongScope Score 54/100 |
| 9 | Hollister Elementary Goleta Union Elementary | 34.4% | 80th percentile · StrongScope Score 53/100 |
| 10 | Washington Elementary Santa Barbara Unified | 37.8% | 76th percentile · StrongScope Score 50/100 |
| 11 | Hope Elementary Hope Elementary | 30.8% | 70th percentile · SolidScope Score 46/100 |
| 12 | Franklin Elementary Santa Barbara Unified | 20.6% | 68th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100 |
| 13 | Trivium Charter School Voyage Blochman Union Elementary | 24.5% | 68th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100 |
| 14 | Harding University Partnership Santa Barbara Unified | 27.0% | 62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100 |
| 15 | Adams Elementary Santa Barbara Unified | 23.7% | 59th percentile · SolidScope Score 40/100 |
| 16 | Roosevelt Elementary Santa Barbara Unified | 29.6% | 55th percentile · SolidScope Score 38/100 |
| 17 | Monroe Elementary Santa Barbara Unified | 14.9% | 52nd percentile · SolidScope Score 37/100 |
| 18 | Santa Barbara Community Academy Santa Barbara Unified | 9.3% | 46th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 34/100 |
| 19 | El Camino Elementary Goleta Union Elementary | 17.6% | 41st percentile · DevelopingScope Score 32/100 |
| 20 | Cleveland Elementary Santa Barbara Unified | 10.0% | 17th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 23/100 |
| 21 | McKinley Elementary Santa Barbara Unified | 3.0% | 8th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 19/100 |
Middle Schools (3)
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Colina Junior High Santa Barbara Unified | 34.6% | 91st percentile · StrongScope Score 65/100 |
| 2 | La Cumbre Junior High Santa Barbara Unified | 13.1% | 51st percentile · SolidScope Score 37/100 |
| 3 | Santa Barbara Junior High Santa Barbara Unified | 10.1% | 23rd percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 25/100 |
High Schools (5)
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Marcos Senior High Santa Barbara Unified | 23.6% | 70th percentile · SolidScope Score 60/100 |
| 2 | Santa Barbara Senior High Santa Barbara Unified | 9.5% | 35th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 48/100 |
| 3 | Alta Vista Alternative High Santa Barbara Unified | 13.2% | 7th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 35/100 |
| 4 | Olive Grove Charter - Santa Barbara SBE - Olive Grove Charter - Santa Barbar | 6.7% | 6th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 34/100 |
| 5 | La Cuesta Continuation High Santa Barbara Unified continuation high school | 0.0% | 10th percentile · Needs SupportWithin its own school classScope Score 13/100 |
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Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology
Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.
Elementary school archetypes in Santa Barbara
Hidden gems: 3 schools in Santa Barbara are classified as On the Rise (2) or Growth Engine — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.
Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more
Private Schools in Santa Barbara
Private schools don't participate in California's standardized testing (CAASPP) and cannot be scored or ranked. Showing enrollment, student-teacher ratio, and affiliation where available.
Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how school zones and enrollment boundaries affect access. Full methodology