School Profile · Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Senior High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Santa Barbara posts 32% meeting the standard and 9.5% exceeding it, against 35% and 15.5% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
700 East Anapamu Street, 93103 (opens in new tab)·Santa Barbara Unified·Santa Barbara·Grades 9-12·1,924 students·62% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 966-9101·Website
Scope Score
50
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #875 statewide · #3 of 5 in Santa Barbara Unified
Santa Barbara Senior High scores 50 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 50th 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 “32% proficient” and call it done. Santa Barbara deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Barbara, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
32%
State 35%
Graduate
97%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
38%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 32 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 38 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
96.8%
State 87.6%
9.2pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
9.5%
State 15.5%
6.0pp below state avg
College readiness
38.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
31.8%
State 34.6%
2.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
25.7%
State 32.1%
6.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.0%
State 4.0%
1.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
15.9%
State 18.0%
2.1pp below 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
▼
High School
Santa Barbara Senior High
50/100
This school
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 High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 24
Alta Vista Alternative High
Santa Barbara Unified · 0.9 mi
Developing
35/100
La Cuesta Continuation High
Santa Barbara Unified · 0.6 mi
Needs Support
13/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 64
Cold Spring Elementary
Cold Spring Elementary · 2.2 mi
Strong
88/100
Washington Elementary
Santa Barbara Unified · 2.5 mi
Solid
56/100
Franklin Elementary
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.2 mi
Developing
49/100
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 31
La Cumbre Junior High
Santa Barbara Unified · 1.8 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
Hispanic62.5%
White30.2%
Asian1.5%
Black0.6%
Other5.3%
GenderFemale 47.3%Male 52.5%Non-binary 0.3%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
1,924
474 above CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
62%
2pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,695
District avg: $14,447 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
15.9% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$64,099 – $121,627
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Santa Barbara Senior High in Santa Barbara, 36.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Barbara Senior High trails its district average for low-income students by 1.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (34.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 41.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 259 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+16.8pp
42.5% vs 25.7% overall · n=160
Suspension · English Learner+4.4pp
7.4% vs 3.0% overall · n=162
ELA · English Learner−41.6pp
3.3% vs 44.9% overall · n=30
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−13.2pp
0.0% vs 13.2% overall · n=30
Math · English Learner−18.7pp
0.0% vs 18.7% overall · n=31
Math Exceeded · Two or More Races−5.8pp
0.0% vs 5.8% overall · n=16
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income264 tested
ELA 36.7%·Math 11.7%· -1.3pp vs district
Hispanic265 tested
ELA 34.9%·Math 12.4%· -2.9pp vs district
White126 tested
ELA 60.5%·Math 27.8%· -14.8pp 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
$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
14.8 years avg experience
104 teachers · 3% first-year · 3% second-year
Teacher Credentials
84% fully credentialed
0.1% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
26 AP courses
123 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 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%
96.8%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
9.5%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 44th pctile
College readiness · 20%
38.0%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 51th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
31.8%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 48th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
25.7%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 55th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.0%
↑ vs CA 4.0% · 54th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
15.9%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 43th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 410 | 13% | 32% | 25% | 30% | 45% | −2 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 417 | 6% | 13% | 24% | 57% | 19% | −5 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 454 | 4% | 20% | 64% | 12% |
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 | 259 | 36.7% | −1 | −2 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 261 | 34.9% | −3 | −4 |
| White | 124 | 60.5% | −15 | −1 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Senior High ← | — | 50 | 9.5% | 31.8% | — | 3.0% |
| Alta Vista Alternative High | 0.9 mi | 35 | 13.2% | 17.6% | — | 2.8% |
| La Cuesta Continuation High | 0.6 mi | 13 | 0.0% | 2.0% | — | 7.9% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.8%
AP Exam Prepared
38.0%
A-G Completion
57.0%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
79.6%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #486 → #689 → #705 → #771 → #875
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 Santa Barbara Senior High a good high school?
Santa Barbara Senior High has a Scope Score of 50 out of 100, placing it in the 50th percentile of California high schools and ranked #875 statewide. 9.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.0 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 Santa Barbara Senior High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 31.8% of students at Santa Barbara Senior High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.5% 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. 827 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Santa Barbara Senior High rank in California?
Santa Barbara Senior High ranks #875 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 50th 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 Santa Barbara Senior High?
25.7% of students at Santa Barbara Senior High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 3.0%. 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 Senior High compare to other schools in Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara Senior High scores 50/100 (50th 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 1,924 students. Use the schools in Santa Barbara page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Santa Barbara Senior High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Santa Barbara Senior High in Santa Barbara, 36.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Barbara Senior High trails its district average for low-income students by 1.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (34.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 41.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 259 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.