School Profile · Santa Barbara
Alta Vista Alternative High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Alta Vista Alternative posts 18% meeting the standard and 13.2% exceeding it, against 35% and 15.5% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
215 East Ortega Street, 93101 (opens in new tab)·Santa Barbara Unified·Santa Barbara·Grades 9-12·119 students·60% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 966-0883·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
Scope Score
35
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,254 statewide · #4 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified
Alta Vista Alternative High scores 35 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 28th percentile of 1,739 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “18% proficient” and call it done. Alta Vista Alternative deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Barbara, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
18%
State 35%
Graduate
83%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
12%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 18 are proficient by 11th grade → 83 graduate → 12 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 6 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
82.8%
State 87.6%
4.8pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
13.2%
State 15.5%
2.3pp below state avg
College readiness
12.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
17.6%
State 34.6%
17.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
60.9%
State 32.1%
28.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
2.8%
State 4.0%
1.2pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
High School
Alta Vista Alternative High
35/100
This school
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 31
Santa Barbara Senior High
Santa Barbara Unified · 0.9 mi
Developing
50/100
La Cuesta Continuation High
Santa Barbara Unified · 0.4 mi
Needs Support
13/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 64
Cold Spring Elementary
Cold Spring Elementary · 2.8 mi
Strong
88/100
Washington Elementary
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.6 mi
Solid
56/100
Franklin Elementary
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.4 mi
Developing
49/100
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 31
La Cumbre Junior High
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.7 mi
Developing
36/100
Santa Barbara Junior High
Santa Barbara Unified · 1 mi
Needs Support
27/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic59.7%
White31.9%
Asian4.2%
Other4.2%
GenderFemale 61.3%Male 35.3%Non-binary 3.4%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
119
1,331 below CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
60%
4pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
13:1
8 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$17,370
District avg: $14,447 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$64,099 – $121,627
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Alta Vista Alternative High in Santa Barbara, 13.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alta Vista Alternative High trails its district average for low-income students by 24.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Hispanic students (12.5% ELA proficient); Hispanic students (0.0% Math proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.6 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 15 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+34.8pp
95.7% vs 60.9% overall · n=23
Suspension · English Learner+8.7pp
11.5% vs 2.8% overall · n=26
ELA · Hispanic−13.6pp
12.5% vs 26.1% overall · n=16
1 more gap by subject
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−11.1pp
6.3% vs 17.4% overall · n=16
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income15 tested
ELA 13.3%· -24.6pp vs district
Hispanic16 tested
ELA 12.5%·Math 0.0%· -25.3pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$90K
$5K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.18M
$525K above CA median
Bachelor's+
43%
8pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
20.7 years avg experience
13 teachers
Teacher Credentials
54% fully credentialed
AP Exam Qualifiers
3 students qualified via AP
1 completed a CTE pathway
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
82.8%
↓ vs CA 87.6% · 44th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
13.2%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 48th pctile
College readiness · 20%
12.0%
↓ vs CA 35.5% · 36th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
17.6%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 38th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
60.9%
↓ vs CA 32.1% · 27th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.8%
↑ vs CA 4.0% · 55th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 23 | 17% | 9% | 30% | 43% | 26% | −21 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 22 | 9% | 0% | 9% | 82% | 9% | −14 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 20 | 20% | 10% | 60% | 10% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 15 | 13.3% | −25 | −25 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 16 | 12.5% | −25 | −26 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista Alternative High ← | — | 35 | 13.2% | 17.6% | — | 2.8% |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | 0.9 mi | 50 | 9.5% | 31.8% | — | 3.0% |
| La Cuesta Continuation High | 0.4 mi | 13 | 0.0% | 2.0% | — | 7.9% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
82.8%
AP Exam Prepared
12.0%
A-G Completion
22.6%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
55.9%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1019 → #1249 → #1199 → #1104 → #1254
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 25 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Alta Vista Alternative High a good high school?
Alta Vista Alternative High has a Scope Score of 35 out of 100, placing it in the 28th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,254 statewide. 13.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 2.3 percentage points below the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Alta Vista Alternative High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 17.6% of students at Alta Vista Alternative High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 13.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 4.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 13.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 45 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Alta Vista Alternative High rank in California?
Alta Vista Alternative High ranks #1,254 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 28th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Alta Vista Alternative High?
60.9% of students at Alta Vista Alternative High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 2.8%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Alta Vista Alternative High compare to other schools in Santa Barbara?
Alta Vista Alternative High scores 35/100 (28th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 119 students. Use the schools in Santa Barbara page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Alta Vista Alternative High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Alta Vista Alternative High in Santa Barbara, 13.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alta Vista Alternative High trails its district average for low-income students by 24.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Hispanic students (12.5% ELA proficient); Hispanic students (0.0% Math proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.6 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 15 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.