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Public middle school

Santa Barbara Junior High

Santa Barbara, CA · Grades 7-8 · 512 students · Santa Barbara Unified

The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

34% of tested students are Proficient or Advanced in English and 26% in math. Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.

SchoolScope archetype

Building Momentum

What this means for your family

This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

How archetypes are assigned →

Math

26%

Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced

English

34%

Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced

Students

512

Total enrollment

Chronic absence

28%

Students absent 10% or more of school days

What are you trying to decide?

The overall score is a starting point.

Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.

View school performance →

Academic performance

What do the results tell us?

2025 results · Grades 6 & 8 · weighted by students tested within each subject.

Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →

Share at Proficient or Advanced

0%25%50%75%100%2019: 39%2022: 23%2023: 18%2024: 17%2025: 26%2019: 46%2022: 36%2023: 27%2024: 32%2025: 34%201920222023202420250%25%50%75%100%2019: 39%2022: 23%2023: 18%2024: 17%2025: 26%2019: 46%2022: 36%2023: 27%2024: 32%2025: 34%20192022202320242025
● Math┄ English

Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.

Exact annual results
YearMathEnglish
201939%46%
202223%36%
202318%27%
202417%32%
202526%34%

Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.

Annual results and the full academic record
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25

One in four of students here meet the standard. One in ten clear it by a lot.

ELA31% met or exceeded
Exceeded 7%Met 24%Nearly Met 23%Not Met 46%
Math27% met or exceeded
Exceeded 13%Met 14%Nearly Met 22%Not Met 51%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California middle schools · average17% exceeded · 40% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2025–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
Scope% Exceeded% Met+GrowthAbsenceSuspension
This school2510%29%27.8%12.4%
CA average · Middle School3917%40%18.1%3.6%
This schoolCA avg
Scope2539
% Exceeded10%17%
% Met+29%40%
Growth
Absence27.8%18.1%
Suspension12.4%3.6%
California’s growth results and student groups
State growth model · CDE growth model 2024–25

California's own growth model places it near the 3rd percentile of middle schools.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

California runs its own growth model — it follows individual children in grades 4 through 8 and compares each one against a prediction from their own prior scores. On that measure this school sits well below the middle of California middle schools in reading and math together. We show it; we don't score it.

pts vs expected is scale-score points above or below what California's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores. It is not a percentage and not a percent of anything. A typical California middle school lands at −1 in reading, and the middle half of them fall between −8 and +6 — the spread is wide, so read the rank, not the sign. CDE blends two consecutive years into each published figure, so adjacent years share input data and no year-over-year trend can honestly be drawn from them. It covers grades 4-8 only, and it is not part of the Scope Score — we assessed it and left it out: it tracks school demographics roughly three times as strongly as our own growth measure does, and one published year is not enough to test how stable it is.

California's growth model, ranked against the schools it scores
State model · readingmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, reading: −39 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 1st percentile of 7,519 reported schools.1st pctile · −39 pts
State model · mathmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, math: −19 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 6th percentile of 7,518 reported schools.6th pctile · −19 pts
this school| the tick is the middle of the California field

Students & opportunity

Who shares in the school’s results?

Who it works for · CAASPP 2024–25

Low-income students here meet the ELA standard behind the same group statewide.

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.

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.

Met or exceeded · reading and math combined
All students at this school: 29% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 29%, district —, state 40%29%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 22%, district 33%, state 32%22% · −7 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 21%, district 33%, state 32%21% · −7 vs school
MaleMale: this school 28%, district 45%, state 42%28% · −0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 29%, district 48%, state 44%29% · +0 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 9%, district 17%, state 15%9% · −20 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 4%, district 11%, state 11%4% · −25 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 63%, district 69%, state 56%63% · +35 vs school
Military-ConnectedMilitary-Connected: this school 29%, district 36%, state 46%29% · −0 vs school

7 of 16 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
ShowHide Student-group results by grade
Student-group results by grade

Results compare different grade groups in the same year, relative to the lowest tested grade. They do not track the same children over time. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

ShowHide California's growth model by student group
The state's growth model, by student group

California follows these children individually and predicts each one's score from their own prior year. Each row is read against the same group at a typical California middle school — not against zero, and not against this school's all-students figure, because the state's expectation already differs by group.

Reading
Hispanic or Latino students360 studentsHispanic or Latino students, reading: −43 scale-score points versus expectation, against −2 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 360 students.−43 pts · −41 vs typical
Low-income students350 studentsLow-income students, reading: −45 scale-score points versus expectation, against −3 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 350 students.−45 pts · −42 vs typical
English Only198 studentsEnglish Only, reading: −29 scale-score points versus expectation, against 0 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 198 students.−29 pts · −29 vs typical
English Learner182 studentsEnglish Learner, reading: −51 scale-score points versus expectation, against −5 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 182 students.−51 pts · −46 vs typical
Recently reclassified145 studentsRecently reclassified, reading: −52 scale-score points versus expectation, against +2 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 145 students.−52 pts · −54 vs typical
Math
Hispanic or Latino students357 studentsHispanic or Latino students, math: −23 scale-score points versus expectation, against −6 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 357 students.−23 pts · −17 vs typical
Low-income students347 studentsLow-income students, math: −24 scale-score points versus expectation, against −5 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 347 students.−24 pts · −19 vs typical
English Only197 studentsEnglish Only, math: −6 scale-score points versus expectation, against −3 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 197 students.−6 pts · −3 vs typical
English Learner180 studentsEnglish Learner, math: −35 scale-score points versus expectation, against −3 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 180 students.−35 pts · −32 vs typical
Recently reclassified144 studentsRecently reclassified, math: −40 scale-score points versus expectation, against −1 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 144 students.−40 pts · −39 vs typical
this school typical California middle school, same group| the centre tick is 0 = as predicted

— A group not listed at all had fewer than 11 students with a growth score, so California published nothing for it here. That is a privacy protection, not a judgment about those students. — Context only. None of this enters the Scope Score.

The daily experience

What is it like to be a student here?

Students per teacher

Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.

The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25

About 17 students for every teacher here.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Students per teacher17 · district 20
Teaching staff33 teachers
Avg. experience14.2 years
Fully credentialed91%
First-year teachers9%
Intern / emergency permit2.8%
PrincipalDaniel Dupont
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$64,099 – $121,627
Principal salary$164,342 – $181,610
Superintendent salary$314,838

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Attendance & discipline · 2024–25

Kids here miss more school, and get suspended more, than the state average.

27.8% of students miss a month or more of school, versus 18.1% statewide. High absence often tracks community stress — a school visit will tell you more than this number.

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 27.8%, district 20.1%, state 18.1%27.8% · +9.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 12.4%, district —, state 3.6%12.4% · +8.8pp vs state
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
ShowHide attendance by student group and by grade
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 7–828.1%

Resources & neighborhood

What sits behind the school experience?

Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2024–25

It spends $19,907 per student, more than the California average.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

$1,084 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $19,907, CA average $14,491$19,907 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,084 per student
District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,939 per student
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 56%Instruction support 15%Student services 12%Administration 6%Buildings & maintenance 10%Other 1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

ShowHide the district's spending year by year
district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$14,447 per pupil
2019$13,462 per pupil
2018$13,495 per pupil
2017$11,638 per pupil
2016$10,981 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood · ACS 2024

Three in four of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Worth knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 25% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Hispanic or Latino83.0% · district 59.1% · CA 56.1%
White12.7% · district 31.0% · CA 19.9%
Asian0.4% · district 2.3% · CA 10.2%
Black0.6% · district 0.6% · CA 4.8%
Other3.3% · district 6.9% · CA 9.0%
Free or reduced lunch79.7% · CA 64%
Median income$122K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.66M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+47% · CA 35%
ZIP population19,382
Median age42 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Culture & philosophy

What is the school’s approach?

School-stated approach · questions for your visit

Look beyond the brochure

A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.

Read the school’s own website ↗

Family voices

What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?

Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”

Educator voices

What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?

Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”

Bring these questions on a visit →

Compare nearby schools

What are the alternatives?

Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.

2025 · middle schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.

Private options →
SchoolTypePerformance bandAdvancedProficient or AdvancedDistanceSelect
Santa Barbara Junior HighPublicNeeds Support10%29%School being viewed
Open the comparison tool →
More nearby public and private options
Your other options

Your other options

Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.

All schools in Santa Barbara →

Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.

10 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
District public
Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
Charter
Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
Private
Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.

Moving & enrollment

Which schools could serve my child?

Check your address with the district

School location and nearby schools do not establish attendance eligibility. Confirm boundaries and permit requirements with Santa Barbara Unified.

District information →School website →

Schools across the K–12 journey

Santa Barbara Senior HighScope 48direct feeder

The road from this school ends at Santa Barbara Senior High, which teaches 20 AP subjects. That number describes past cohorts — a child starting here today would reach Santa Barbara Senior High around 2031, and 6 years is a long time for a school to hold still, and by the state's 2023 count 80% of Santa Barbara Senior High's graduates enrolled in college somewhere, UC or not.

Source: College Board

Source: sabs_2016. Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.

Plan your next step

What should I do next?

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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask what typically leads to a suspension, and what happens before it gets there.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Barbara Junior High a good middle school?
Santa Barbara Junior High has a Scope Score of 25 out of 100, placing it in the 23rd percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,673 statewide. 10.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.0 percentage points below the California average of 17.2%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (42%), met or exceeded (proficient) (23%), grade 6-to-8 growth (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (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% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 960 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Santa Barbara Junior High rank in California?
Santa Barbara Junior High ranks #1,673 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 23rd 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 18.1%. 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 25/100 (23rd 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.
What high school does Santa Barbara Junior High feed into?
By attendance boundary, Santa Barbara Junior High is zoned to Santa Barbara Senior High. Santa Barbara Senior High has a Scope Score of 48 out of 100. Boundaries come from the U.S. Department of Education's School Attendance Boundary Survey, a 2015-16 collection and the most recent national one — they are approximate and may since have changed. A boundary is also not a placement guarantee: magnet, charter, open-enrollment and inter-district transfer options mean students from one school often continue to several different ones. Confirm your address with the district before making an enrollment or housing decision. Data source: NCES School Attendance Boundary Survey, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.

Behind the evidence

Inspect the full record

Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.

How the Scope Score is calculated

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.

What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25

The 5 things our score weighs

What the score weighs
What we weighHereStateWeight
Exceeded standard10.1%17.2%42%
Met or exceeded28.8%40.0%23%
Chronic absenteeism27.8%18.1%5%
Suspension rate12.4%3.6%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)18.3%18.0%5%

Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built

A closer look at the evidence

Santa Barbara Junior High: reading the evidence

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.

Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.

This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Explore the underlying data →
Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

Santa Barbara Junior High is ranked #1,673 statewide · #5 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Score factors
FactorSchoolStateWeight
Exceeded standard10.1%17.2%42%
Met or exceeded28.8%40.0%23%
Chronic absenteeism27.8%18.1%5%
Suspension rate12.4%3.6%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)18.3%18.0%5%
Exceeded standard
↓ vs CA 17.2% · index 42 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
Met or exceeded
↓ vs CA 40.0% · index 41 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
Chronic absenteeism
↓ vs CA 18.1% · index 37 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
Suspension rate
↓ vs CA 3.6% · index 15 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
↑ vs CA 18.0% · index 46 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 60
Grade 72446%22%23%49%28%−20
Grade 82378%26%24%43%34%−12
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 60
Grade 724613%15%25%48%28%−6
Grade 823314%12%20%55%26%−6

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide2389%16%55%21%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged38723.1%−15−15
Hispanic/Latino39824.2%−14−15
Students with Disabilities7010.0%−9−7
03Nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Santa Barbara Junior High ←2510.1%28.8%12.4%
California average3917.2%40.0%+1.5pp3.6%
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.
04Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
ShowHide table 04 — Climate by student group
Group20192025Δ
Female9.4%29.0%+19.6pp
Male11.1%27.2%+16.1pp
Hispanic/Latino11.4%27.7%+16.3pp
White8.0%31.9%+23.9pp
Students with Disabilities18.7%36.2%+17.5pp
English Learners19.0%23.8%+4.8pp
Homeless11.0%32.0%+21.0pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged12.0%30.0%+18.0pp
All Students10.2%28.1%+17.9pp
05California growth model, by student group2025 · scale-score points vs the state's prediction · shown, never scored
ShowHide table 05 — California growth model, by student group
GroupReadingnCDE bandMathnCDE band
All Students−39434Minimal−19431Moderate
Hispanic or Latino−43360Minimal−23357Minimal
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged−45350Minimal−24347Minimal
English Only−29198not categorised−6197not categorised
English Learner−51182Minimal−35180Minimal
Recently Reclassified Fluent-English Proficient Only−52145not categorised−40144not categorised
Students with Disabilities−3468Minimal−2368Minimal
White−1557Moderate−256Average
Homeless Youth−4939Minimal−2838Minimal
English Learners Only−4337not categorised−2236not categorised
Long-Term English Learner (grades 6-8 only)−5031Minimal−4631Minimal

Whole scale-score points above or below what CDE's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores — not a percentage, not a percentile. Statewide a typical school lands near +1 with a spread of about 13 points either side, so read a figure against its group's own typical value, not against zero. “Not categorised” is CDE assigning no band — English Only, Recently Reclassified, and English Learners Only receive a value and no band, for every school in the state. It is not a missing number. Long-Term English Learner counts cover grades 6-8 only (CDE), so that row is not comparable to the All Students row. Most figures blend two consecutive years, so adjacent published years share input data and no trend line can honestly be drawn across them. A group absent from this table had fewer than 11 students with a growth score and was never published. Grades 4-8 only. None of this enters the Scope Score — it is more strongly correlated with school demographics than our own growth measure, and one published year is not enough to test its reliability.

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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,177 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-09-18

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

Santa Barbara Junior High

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