Santa Barbara Unified
Public school district · Santa Barbara County · California · NCES district ID 0601414
Santa Barbara Unified spent $18,088 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 64% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 20 schools enrolled 12,247 students in 2024-25; 25.5% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,639 per student, up 3.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 92% (California: 86.2%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Santa Barbara Unified in enrollment (12,088 to 13,188 students) and Santa Barbara Unified itself.
Where the money came from
$298,235,000 in revenue: 25.5% state, 67.7% local and 6.8% federal. Total spending including $30,392,000 of capital outlay was $277,199,000, or $22,030 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$75,969,000 25%
- Local$201,870,000 68%
- Federal$20,396,000 7%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
12,579 students in 2022-23, 12,484 students in 2023-24, 12,247 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 12,579 | 658.3 | 19.1 |
| 2023-24 | 12,484 | 646.5 | 19.3 |
| 2024-25 | 12,247 | 649.5 | 18.9 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$67,371,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,354 per student
Santa Barbara Unified booked $67,371,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 658 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $102,341 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 54 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $55,224,000 | 82.0% |
| Special education | $9,137,000 | 13.6% |
| Vocational | $3,010,000 | 4.5% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,131 in 2018-19, $4,295 in 2019-20, $4,568 in 2020-21, $5,130 in 2021-22, $5,354 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Santa Barbara Unified scored proficient or above: 47% in reading and 37% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | California | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 47% | 45% | 4,748 |
| Math | 37% | 34% | 4,740 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
92% of the 1,649 students in Santa Barbara Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 92% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 1,649 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
10 elementary schools, 3,549 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Elementary | 477 | 16.5 | 33.3% | Not reported |
| Adams Elementary | 469 | 16.6 | 54.2% | Not reported |
| Roosevelt Elementary | 463 | 17.5 | 45.4% | Not reported |
| Franklin Elementary | 424 | 17.0 | 81.4% | Not reported |
| Harding University Partnership | 364 | 17.0 | 67.0% | Not reported |
| Monroe Elementary | 315 | 16.3 | 60.0% | Not reported |
| McKinley Elementary | 293 | 17.0 | 71.3% | Not reported |
| Santa Barbara Charter | 269 | 22.3 | 18.6% | Not reported |
| Cleveland Elementary | 254 | 14.1 | 72.0% | Not reported |
| Santa Barbara Community Academy | 221 | 17.6 | 72.4% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
5 middle schools, 2,503 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Colina Junior High | 832 | 19.8 | 29.4% | Not reported |
| Goleta Valley Junior High | 731 | 19.3 | 31.2% | Not reported |
| Santa Barbara Junior High | 512 | 16.0 | 66.2% | Not reported |
| La Cumbre Junior High | 426 | 17.6 | 70.4% | Not reported |
| Alta Vista | 2 | 2.7 | not reported | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
5 high schools, 6,195 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Pueblos Senior High | 2,149 | 22.6 | 30.9% | Not reported |
| San Marcos Senior High | 1,926 | 21.2 | 46.2% | Not reported |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | 1,924 | 19.5 | 48.0% | Not reported |
| Alta Vista Alternative High | 119 | 12.6 | 52.1% | Not reported |
| La Cuesta Continuation High | 77 | 8.4 | 74.0% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Santa Barbara Unified
- Website: sbunified.org
- Phone: (805) 963-4338
- Office: 720 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Santa Barbara Unified
- California districts by spending per studentSanta Barbara Unified ranks 231 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($18,088).#231 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaSanta Barbara Unified is the number 120 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 12,583 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#120 of 1,991
- Vacaville UnifiedThe next larger California district: 12,608 students in fall 2022, $15,182 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,182
- Dublin UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 12,557 students in fall 2022, $15,177 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,177
- Compare Santa Barbara Unified with Vacaville UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Dos Pueblos Senior High, its largest high school2,149 students in 2024-25, 22.6 per teacher.2,149
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaSanta Barbara Unified spent $102,341 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$102,341
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Santa Barbara Unified
How many schools and students are in Santa Barbara Unified?
20 schools were open in 2024-25 (10 elementary, 5 middle, 5 high), enrolling 12,247 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Santa Barbara Unified spend per student?
$18,088 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,639 per student, up 3.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Santa Barbara Unified's money come from?
$298,235,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 25.5% state, 67.7% local and 6.8% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Santa Barbara Unified live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,777 of the 16,076 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 11.1%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Santa Barbara Unified spend on teacher salaries?
$67,371,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,354 per student. Divided by the 658 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $102,341 per teacher, more than 54 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Santa Barbara Unified do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Santa Barbara Unified scored proficient or above: 47% in reading and 37% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Santa Barbara Unified?
92% of the 1,649 students in Santa Barbara Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Santa Barbara Unified's NCES district ID?
0601414. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25