Public schools in Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara has 33 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 6 high, 4 middle, 20 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 13,569 students. They are run by 9 districts and agencies; Santa Barbara Unified runs 18 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 9 districts and agencies that run Santa Barbara's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Santa Barbara | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Unified | 18 | 12,583 | $18,088 |
| Goleta Union Elementary | 4 | 3,416 | $22,980 |
| Hope Elementary | 3 | 839 | $17,623 |
| Santa Barbara County Office of Education | 3 | 86 | not reported |
| Montecito Union School | 1 | 353 | $39,348 |
| Adelante Charter District | 1 | 297 | $15,313 |
| Trivium Charter School Voyage District | 1 | 297 | $12,219 |
| Cold Spring Elementary | 1 | 193 | $26,378 |
| Olive Grove Charter - Santa Barbara District | 1 | 80 | $18,188 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
6 high schools in Santa Barbara, 4,104 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marcos Senior High | 1,926 | 21.2 | 46.2% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | 1,924 | 19.5 | 48.0% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Alta Vista Alternative High | 119 | 12.6 | 52.1% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| La Cuesta Continuation High | 77 | 8.4 | 74.0% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court | 31 | 10.3 | 90.3% | Santa Barbara County Office of Education |
| Santa Barbara County Community | 27 | 6.7 | 88.9% | Santa Barbara County Office of Education |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
4 middle schools in Santa Barbara, 1,772 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Colina Junior High | 832 | 19.8 | 29.4% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Santa Barbara Junior High | 512 | 16.0 | 66.2% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| La Cumbre Junior High | 426 | 17.6 | 70.4% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Alta Vista | 2 | 2.7 | not reported | Santa Barbara Unified |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
20 elementary schools in Santa Barbara, 7,273 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peabody Charter | 780 | 22.3 | 33.3% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Washington Elementary | 477 | 16.5 | 33.3% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Adams Elementary | 469 | 16.6 | 54.2% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Roosevelt Elementary | 463 | 17.5 | 45.4% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Franklin Elementary | 424 | 17.0 | 81.4% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Foothill Elementary | 413 | 21.7 | 17.4% | Goleta Union Elementary |
| Hollister Elementary | 393 | 18.7 | 40.5% | Goleta Union Elementary |
| Harding University Partnership | 364 | 17.0 | 67.0% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Montecito Union | 353 | 12.1 | 5.1% | Montecito Union School |
| Mountain View Elementary | 351 | 19.5 | 16.2% | Goleta Union Elementary |
The other 10 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Camino Elementary | 350 | 20.6 | 41.4% | Goleta Union Elementary |
| Monroe Elementary | 315 | 16.3 | 60.0% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Vieja Valley Elementary | 313 | 20.9 | 25.9% | Hope Elementary |
| Adelante Charter | 306 | 18.5 | 58.5% | Adelante Charter District |
| McKinley Elementary | 293 | 17.0 | 71.3% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Hope Elementary | 279 | 17.4 | 38.4% | Hope Elementary |
| Monte Vista Elementary | 267 | 19.1 | 23.6% | Hope Elementary |
| Cleveland Elementary | 254 | 14.1 | 72.0% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Santa Barbara Community Academy | 221 | 17.6 | 72.4% | Santa Barbara Unified |
| Cold Spring Elementary | 188 | 13.7 | 3.7% | Cold Spring Elementary |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
3 other schools in Santa Barbara, 420 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trivium Charter School Voyage | 297 | 34.4 | 40.4% | Trivium Charter School Voyage District |
| Olive Grove Charter - Santa Barbara | 74 | 15.9 | 54.1% | Olive Grove Charter - Santa Barbara District |
| Santa Barbara County Special Education | 49 | 6.5 | 73.5% | Santa Barbara County Office of Education |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Santa Barbara's public schools compare with California's
The median Santa Barbara school has 17.2 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 315 students (state 471).
| Santa Barbara | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 17.2 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 315 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 54% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 12% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 33 Santa Barbara schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Santa Barbara
- Santa Barbara UnifiedRuns 18 of Santa Barbara's 33 public schools and spent $18,088 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,088
- San Marcos Senior High, the largest high school in Santa Barbara1,926 students in 2024-25, 21.2 per teacher.1,926
- Compare Santa Barbara Unified with Goleta Union ElementarySanta Barbara's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Santa Barbara addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in Santa Barbara
How many public schools are in Santa Barbara, CA?
33 public schools with an address in Santa Barbara were open in 2024-25: 6 high, 4 middle, 20 elementary, 3 other, enrolling 13,569 students. 4 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Santa Barbara?
San Marcos Senior High, with 1,926 students in 2024-25 (Santa Barbara Unified).Which districts run Santa Barbara's schools?
Santa Barbara Unified (18 schools), Goleta Union Elementary (4 schools), Hope Elementary (3 schools), Santa Barbara County Office of Education (3 schools), and 5 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25