School Profile · Santa Barbara
La Cumbre Junior High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
La Cumbre posts 38% meeting the standard and 13.1% exceeding it, against 40% and 17.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
2255 Modoc Road, 93101 (opens in new tab)·Santa Barbara Unified·Santa Barbara·Grades 7-8·426 students·85% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 687-0761·Website
Scope Score
36
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #908 statewide · #4 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified
La Cumbre Junior High scores 36 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 47th 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 “38% proficient” and call it done. La Cumbre 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.
The headline number: 41.7% of English learners reached the top ELPAC level, versus 18.0% statewide.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
13.1%
State 17.3%
4.2pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
38.3%
State 39.5%
1.2pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
23.2%
State 19.1%
4.1pp above state avg
Suspension rate
2.6%
State 4.2%
1.7pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
41.7%
State 18.0%
23.7pp above 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
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
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 59
Monte Vista Elementary
Hope Elementary · 2.1 mi
Solid
69/100
Washington Elementary
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.8 mi
Solid
56/100
Hope Elementary
Hope Elementary · 2 mi
Solid
51/100
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
Hispanic89.9%
White8.0%
Asian0.7%
Black0.2%
Other1.2%
GenderFemale 44.6%Male 55.4%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
426
434 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
85%
21pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,851
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 Cumbre Junior High in Santa Barbara, 38.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Cumbre Junior High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (31.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (39.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 39.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 353 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+3.9pp
27.1% vs 23.2% overall · n=85
ELA · English Learner−39.3pp
2.9% vs 42.3% overall · n=37
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−9.1pp
0.0% vs 9.1% overall · n=37
Math · English Learner−28.4pp
6.0% vs 34.4% overall · n=50
Math Exceeded · English Learner−17.3pp
0.0% vs 17.3% overall · n=50
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income359 tested
ELA 38.9%·Math 31.8%· +0.9pp vs district
Hispanic369 tested
ELA 39.0%·Math 31.7%· +1.2pp vs district
Disabilities70 tested
ELA 18.6%·Math 17.4%· -0.8pp 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
$1.18M
$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
12.0 years avg experience
26 teachers · 12% second-year
Teacher Credentials
68% 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%
13.1%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
38.3%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
23.2%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 44th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.6%
↑ vs CA 4.2% · 56th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
41.7%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 46th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 175 | 9% | 37% | 25% | 30% | 46% | −2 |
| Grade 8 | 230 | 10% | 30% | 30% | 30% | 39% | −7 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 178 | 13% | 15% | 30% | 41% | 29% | −5 |
| Grade 8 | 235 | 21% | 19% | 19% | 41% | 40% | +7 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 235 | 7% | 18% | 58% | 17% |
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 | 353 | 38.9% | +1 | +1 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 362 | 39.0% | +1 | +0 |
| Students with Disabilities | 70 | 18.6% | −1 | +2 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Cumbre Junior High ← | — | 36 | 13.1% | 38.3% | — | 2.6% |
| La Colina Junior High | 2.5 mi | 64 | 34.6% | 64.9% | — | 1.9% |
| California average | — | 40 | 17.3% | 39.5% | +0.8 | 4.2% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2023 · 2025 · rank #1125 → #908
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
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 Cumbre Junior High a good middle school?
La Cumbre Junior High has a Scope Score of 36 out of 100, placing it in the 47th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #908 statewide. 13.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.2 percentage points below 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 Cumbre Junior High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 38.3% of students at La Cumbre Junior High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 13.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 13.1% 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. 818 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does La Cumbre Junior High rank in California?
La Cumbre Junior High ranks #908 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 47th 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 Cumbre Junior High?
23.2% of students at La Cumbre Junior High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 2.6%. 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 Cumbre Junior High compare to other schools in Santa Barbara?
La Cumbre Junior High scores 36/100 (47th 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 426 students. Use the schools in Santa Barbara page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does La Cumbre Junior High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At La Cumbre Junior High in Santa Barbara, 38.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Cumbre Junior High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (31.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (39.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 39.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 353 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.