School Profile · Santa Barbara
La Cuesta Continuation High: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
La Cuesta Continuation posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
710 Santa Barbara Street, 93101 (opens in new tab)·Santa Barbara Unified·Santa Barbara·Grades 9-12·77 students·90% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 966-0883·Website
Continuation school — a small alternative high school designed for students at risk of not graduating. Focuses on credit recovery and flexible scheduling. Test scores and college-readiness rates are not directly comparable to comprehensive high schools.
Scope Score
13
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,668 statewide · #5 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified
La Cuesta Continuation High scores 13 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 4th 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 “2% proficient” and call it done. La Cuesta Continuation deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Barbara, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
2%
State 35%
Graduate
57%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
0%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 2 are proficient by 11th grade → 57 graduate → 0 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
57.1%
State 87.6%
30.5pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
0.0%
State 15.5%
15.5pp below state avg
College readiness
0.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
2.0%
State 34.6%
32.6pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
71.5%
State 32.1%
39.4pp above state avg
Suspension rate
7.9%
State 4.0%
3.9pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
16.7%
State 18.0%
1.3pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
Middle
▼
High School
La Cuesta Continuation High
13/100
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 42
Santa Barbara Senior High
Santa Barbara Unified · 0.6 mi
Developing
50/100
Alta Vista Alternative High
Santa Barbara Unified · 0.4 mi
Developing
35/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 64
Cold Spring Elementary
Cold Spring Elementary · 2.4 mi
Strong
88/100
Washington Elementary
Santa Barbara Unified · 2.1 mi
Solid
56/100
Franklin Elementary
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.1 mi
Developing
49/100
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 31
La Cumbre Junior High
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.9 mi
Developing
36/100
Santa Barbara Junior High
Santa Barbara Unified · 0.6 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
Hispanic94.8%
White3.9%
Other1.3%
GenderFemale 52.0%Male 48.0%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
77
1,373 below CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
90%
26pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
9:1
12 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$46,427
District avg: $14,447 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
16.7% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$64,099 – $121,627
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At La Cuesta Continuation High in Santa Barbara, 4.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Cuesta Continuation High trails its district average for low-income students by 33.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (0.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (0.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 4.0 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 24 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+28.5pp
100.0% vs 71.5% overall · n=25
Suspension · Homeless+3.9pp
11.8% vs 7.9% overall · n=17
ELA · Hispanic−4.0pp
0.0% vs 4.0% overall · n=24
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income24 tested
ELA 4.3%·Math 0.0%· -33.6pp vs district
Hispanic24 tested
ELA 0.0%·Math 0.0%· -37.8pp 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
13.8 years avg experience
10 teachers
Teacher Credentials
67% fully credentialed
8.5% on intern/emergency permit
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
Graduation rate · 25%
57.1%
↓ vs CA 87.6% · 14th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 34th pctile
College readiness · 20%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 35.5% · 29th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
2.0%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 27th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
71.5%
↓ vs CA 32.1% · 19th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
7.9%
↓ vs CA 4.0% · 33th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
16.7%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 52th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 25 | 0% | 4% | 24% | 72% | 4% | −43 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 25 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | −23 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 12 | 0% | 0% | 50% | 50% |
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 | 24 | 4.3% | −34 | −34 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 24 | 0.0% | −38 | −39 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Cuesta Continuation High ← | — | 13 | 0.0% | 2.0% | — | 7.9% |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | 0.6 mi | 50 | 9.5% | 31.8% | — | 3.0% |
| Alta Vista Alternative High | 0.4 mi | 35 | 13.2% | 17.6% | — | 2.8% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
57.1%
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
A-G Completion
0.0%
This school may not offer A-G courses
College-Going Rate
31.3%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1564 → #1662 → #1725 → #1710 → #1668
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 34 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 La Cuesta Continuation High a good high school?
La Cuesta Continuation High has a Scope Score of 13 out of 100, placing it in the 4th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,668 statewide. 0.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 15.5 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 La Cuesta Continuation High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 2.0% of students at La Cuesta Continuation High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 0.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 2.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 0.0% 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. 50 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does La Cuesta Continuation High rank in California?
La Cuesta Continuation High ranks #1,668 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 4th 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 La Cuesta Continuation High?
71.5% of students at La Cuesta Continuation High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 7.9%. 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 Cuesta Continuation High compare to other schools in Santa Barbara?
La Cuesta Continuation High scores 13/100 (4th 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 77 students. Use the schools in Santa Barbara page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does La Cuesta Continuation High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At La Cuesta Continuation High in Santa Barbara, 4.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Cuesta Continuation High trails its district average for low-income students by 33.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (0.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (0.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 4.0 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 24 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.