School Profile · Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Junior High: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Santa Barbara 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.
721 East Cota Street, 93103 (opens in new tab)·Santa Barbara Unified·Santa Barbara·Grades 7-8·512 students·80% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 963-7751·Website
Scope Score
27
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,304 statewide · #5 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified
Santa Barbara Junior High scores 27 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 24th 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 “29% proficient” and call it done. Santa Barbara deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Barbara, where three in four 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 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
10.1%
State 17.3%
7.2pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
28.8%
State 39.5%
10.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
27.8%
State 19.1%
8.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
12.4%
State 4.2%
8.2pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
18.3%
State 18.0%
0.3pp above 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
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
Hispanic83.0%
White12.7%
Asian0.4%
Black0.6%
Other3.3%
GenderFemale 46.5%Male 53.5%Non-binary 0.2%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
512
348 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
80%
16pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
17:1
4 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,907
District avg: $14,447 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
18.3% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$64,099 – $121,627
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Santa Barbara Junior High in Santa Barbara, 23.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Barbara Junior High trails its district average for low-income students by 14.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (24.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 28.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 387 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+8.4pp
36.2% vs 27.8% overall · n=105
Suspension · English Learner+6.2pp
18.6% vs 12.4% overall · n=86
ELA · English Learner−28.3pp
2.5% vs 30.8% overall · n=69
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−7.1pp
0.0% vs 7.1% overall · n=69
Math · English Learner−23.1pp
3.6% vs 26.7% overall · n=70
Math Exceeded · English Learner−12.0pp
1.2% vs 13.2% overall · n=70
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income387 tested
ELA 23.1%·Math 19.8%· -14.9pp vs district
Hispanic398 tested
ELA 24.2%·Math 19.9%· -13.6pp vs district
Disabilities70 tested
ELA 10.0%·Math 7.1%· -9.4pp 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
$122K
$37K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.66M
$1.00M above CA median
Bachelor's+
47%
12pp 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
14.2 years avg experience
33 teachers · 9% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
91% fully credentialed
2.8% 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
Exceeded standard · 43%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 42th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
28.8%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 42th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
27.8%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 38th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
12.4%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 18th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
18.3%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 45th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 244 | 6% | 22% | 23% | 49% | 28% | −20 |
| Grade 8 | 237 | 8% | 26% | 24% | 43% | 34% | −12 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 246 | 13% | 15% | 25% | 48% | 28% | −6 |
| Grade 8 | 233 | 14% | 12% | 20% | 55% | 26% | −7 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 238 | 9% | 16% | 55% | 21% |
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 | 387 | 23.1% | −15 | −15 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 398 | 24.2% | −14 | −15 |
| Students with Disabilities | 70 | 10.0% | −9 | −7 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Junior High ← | — | 27 | 10.1% | 28.8% | — | 12.4% |
| 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.
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 15 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
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 Santa Barbara Junior High a good middle school?
Santa Barbara Junior High has a Scope Score of 27 out of 100, placing it in the 24th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,304 statewide. 10.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.2 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 Santa Barbara Junior High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 28.8% of students at Santa Barbara Junior High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.1% 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. 960 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Santa Barbara Junior High rank in California?
Santa Barbara Junior High ranks #1,304 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 24th 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 Santa Barbara Junior High?
27.8% of students at Santa Barbara Junior High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 12.4%. 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 Santa Barbara Junior High compare to other schools in Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara Junior High scores 27/100 (24th 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 512 students. Use the schools in Santa Barbara page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Santa Barbara Junior High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Santa Barbara Junior High in Santa Barbara, 23.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Barbara Junior High trails its district average for low-income students by 14.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (24.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 28.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 387 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.