School Profile · Goleta
Goleta Valley Junior High: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.
Goleta Valley posts 52% meeting the standard; 27.2% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.
6100 Stow Canyon Road, 93117 (opens in new tab)·Santa Barbara Unified·Goleta·Grades 7-8·731 students·46% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 967-3486·Website
Scope Score
52
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #407 statewide · #2 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified
Goleta Valley Junior High scores 52 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 76th percentile of 1,714 California middle 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 “52% proficient” and call it done. Goleta Valley deserves a closer read. The school sits in Goleta, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 30.8% of English learners reached the top ELPAC level, versus 18.0% statewide.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
27.2%
State 17.3%
9.9pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
52.1%
State 39.5%
12.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
16.1%
State 19.1%
3.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
8.0%
State 4.2%
3.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
30.8%
State 18.0%
12.8pp above state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
Middle
Goleta Valley Junior High
52/100
This school
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
Your other options
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
Hispanic48.7%
White35.4%
Asian6.3%
Black1.0%
Other8.6%
GenderFemale 44.9%Male 54.9%Non-binary 0.3%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
731
129 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
46%
18pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$17,257
District avg: $14,447 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
30.8% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$64,099 – $121,627
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Goleta Valley Junior High in Goleta, 34.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Goleta Valley Junior High trails its district average for low-income students by 3.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (35.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 41.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 325 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+14.1pp
30.2% vs 16.1% overall · n=43
Suspension · Disabilities+8.5pp
16.5% vs 8.0% overall · n=103
ELA · English Learner−41.9pp
13.0% vs 55.0% overall · n=23
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−22.5pp
0.0% vs 22.5% overall · n=23
Math · Disabilities−37.1pp
12.0% vs 49.1% overall · n=80
Math Exceeded · English Learner−28.0pp
3.7% vs 31.7% overall · n=27
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income330 tested
ELA 34.7%·Math 24.0%· -3.2pp vs district
Hispanic350 tested
ELA 35.6%·Math 26.1%· -2.2pp vs district
White250 tested
ELA 71.7%·Math 68.8%· -3.5pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$90K
$5K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.08M
$423K above CA median
Bachelor's+
51%
16pp 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
17.9 years avg experience
39 teachers · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
83% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 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
Exceeded standard · 43%
27.2%
↑ vs CA 17.3% · 60th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
52.1%
↑ vs CA 39.5% · 60th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
16.1%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 54th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
8.0%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 35th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
30.8%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 56th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 334 | 25% | 35% | 18% | 22% | 61% | +13 |
| Grade 8 | 365 | 20% | 30% | 24% | 26% | 49% | +3 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 341 | 36% | 20% | 21% | 23% | 56% | +22 |
| Grade 8 | 371 | 27% | 15% | 22% | 35% | 42% | +10 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 370 | 19% | 22% | 46% | 12% |
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 | 325 | 34.7% | −3 | −3 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 345 | 35.6% | −2 | −3 |
| White | 250 | 71.7% | −4 | +10 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goleta Valley Junior High ← | — | 52 | 27.2% | 52.1% | — | 8.0% |
| California average | — | 40 | 17.3% | 39.5% | +0.8 | 4.2% |
What we can't show
- — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,714 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Goleta Valley Junior High a good middle school?
Goleta Valley Junior High has a Scope Score of 52 out of 100, placing it in the 76th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #407 statewide. 27.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.9 percentage points above the California average of 17.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle 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 Goleta Valley Junior High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 52.1% of students at Goleta Valley Junior High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 27.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 27.2% 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. 1,411 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Goleta Valley Junior High rank in California?
Goleta Valley Junior High ranks #407 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 76th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), 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 Goleta Valley Junior High?
16.1% of students at Goleta Valley Junior High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 8.0%. 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 Goleta Valley Junior High compare to other schools in Goleta?
Goleta Valley Junior High scores 52/100 (76th percentile) among California middle 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 731 students. Use the schools in Goleta page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Goleta Valley Junior High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Goleta Valley Junior High in Goleta, 34.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Goleta Valley Junior High trails its district average for low-income students by 3.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (35.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 41.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 325 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.