School Profile · Santa Barbara
La Colina Junior High: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.
La Colina posts 65% meeting the standard; 34.6% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.
4025 Foothill Road, 93110 (opens in new tab)·Santa Barbara Unified·Santa Barbara·Grades 7-8·832 students·41% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 967-4506·Website
Scope Score
64
💪 Strong All-Around · Solid
ranked #194 statewide · #1 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified
La Colina Junior High scores 64 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 89th 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 “65% proficient” and call it done. La Colina deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Barbara, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 52.0% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.
52.0%
Low-income · ELA · met standard
La Colina's most underrated number
52.0% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.
La Colina low-income: 52.0%State low-income: 38.2%
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
34.6%
State 17.3%
17.2pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
64.9%
State 39.5%
25.4pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
14.1%
State 19.1%
5.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.9%
State 4.2%
2.3pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
41.7%
State 18.0%
23.7pp 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
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 62
Monte Vista Elementary
Hope Elementary · 0.6 mi
Solid
69/100
Vieja Valley Elementary
Hope Elementary · 1.4 mi
Solid
60/100
Hollister Elementary
Goleta Union Elementary · 2.5 mi
Solid
58/100
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
Hispanic40.0%
White49.2%
Asian3.3%
Black0.2%
Other7.3%
GenderFemale 47.7%Male 52.2%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
832
Near CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
41%
22pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$17,023
District avg: $14,447 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
41.7% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$64,099 – $121,627
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At La Colina Junior High in Santa Barbara, 52.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Colina Junior High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 14.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (42.1% Math proficient); White students (79.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 42.5 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 325 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+11.7pp
25.8% vs 14.1% overall · n=128
Suspension · Disabilities+3.6pp
5.5% vs 1.9% overall · n=128
ELA · Disabilities−42.5pp
26.4% vs 68.9% overall · n=96
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−23.5pp
4.4% vs 27.9% overall · n=96
Math · Disabilities−42.4pp
18.5% vs 60.9% overall · n=93
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−35.6pp
5.6% vs 41.2% overall · n=93
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income325 tested
ELA 52.0%·Math 42.1%· +14.0pp vs district
White393 tested
ELA 79.1%·Math 72.9%· +3.8pp vs district
Hispanic312 tested
ELA 52.9%·Math 40.7%· +15.1pp 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
$129K
$44K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.20M
$541K 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
16.3 years avg experience
43 teachers · 2% second-year
Teacher Credentials
92% 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%
34.6%
↑ vs CA 17.3% · 68th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
64.9%
↑ vs CA 39.5% · 69th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
14.1%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 57th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.9%
↑ vs CA 4.2% · 59th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
41.7%
↑ vs CA 18.0%
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 400 | 29% | 41% | 19% | 12% | 69% | +21 |
| Grade 8 | 391 | 27% | 41% | 20% | 11% | 69% | +23 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 395 | 41% | 23% | 20% | 17% | 63% | +29 |
| Grade 8 | 392 | 42% | 17% | 20% | 21% | 59% | +26 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 392 | 23% | 25% | 45% | 6% |
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 | 52.0% | +14 | +14 |
| White | 393 | 79.1% | +4 | +17 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 312 | 52.9% | +15 | +14 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Colina Junior High ← | — | 64 | 34.6% | 64.9% | — | 1.9% |
| La Cumbre Junior High | 2.5 mi | 36 | 13.1% | 38.3% | — | 2.6% |
| 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 La Colina Junior High a good middle school?
La Colina Junior High has a Scope Score of 64 out of 100, placing it in the 89th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #194 statewide. 34.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 17.2 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 La Colina Junior High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 64.9% of students at La Colina Junior High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 34.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 30.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 34.6% 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. 1,578 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does La Colina Junior High rank in California?
La Colina Junior High ranks #194 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 89th 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 La Colina Junior High?
14.1% of students at La Colina 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 1.9%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 La Colina Junior High compare to other schools in Santa Barbara?
La Colina Junior High scores 64/100 (89th 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 832 students. Use the schools in Santa Barbara page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does La Colina Junior High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At La Colina Junior High in Santa Barbara, 52.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Colina Junior High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 14.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (42.1% Math proficient); White students (79.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 42.5 percentage points for disabilities 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.