Enrollment
119
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Barbara, CA
Alta Vista Alternative High
Federal NCES profile for Alta Vista Alternative High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060141412435
👥 S:T ratio 47
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alta Vista Alternative High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools.
- #2 of 4
- high schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.2:1
- small classes for California
- 55.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Alta Vista Alternative High has class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista Alternative High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Santa Barbara, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara Unified · California
NCES ID 060141412435 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alta Vista Alternative High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alta Vista Alternative High
Alta Vista Alternative High is a higher-need, small high school in Santa Barbara, California, enrolling 119 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.2:1, Alta Vista Alternative High is leaner than roughly 92% of California schools and 39% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.6% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 119 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 300 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #34.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and White (30%) (diversity index 53/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Among Santa Barbara's high schools, it stands alongside San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students): Alta Vista Alternative High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.2:1 vs 20.7:1).
Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students) and San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students) alongside Alta Vista Alternative High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alta Vista Alternative High compares
Alta Vista Alternative High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.2:1 | ▼ 39% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.6% | ▲ 0% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 119 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
119
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 39% below state mean
Top 8% in California - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$16,366
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 60.9%
White 30.4%
Asian 5.2%
Two or More 3.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.3, Alta Vista Alternative High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Barbara Unified, which includes Alta Vista Alternative High.
$16,366
Per student
-1%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.3%
State 18.5%
Federal 9.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Alta Vista Alternative High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Pueblos Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Marcos Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| La Colina Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Goleta Valley Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alta Vista Alternative High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,149
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,926
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,924
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 832
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar high schools in Santa Barbara
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~119 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alta Vista Alternative High's federal record.
- Compare Alta Vista Alternative High against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Barbara Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Alta Vista Alternative High
How many students attend Alta Vista Alternative High?
Alta Vista Alternative High has 119 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista Alternative High?
The student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista Alternative High is 13.2:1, which is 39% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alta Vista Alternative High?
55.6% of students at Alta Vista Alternative High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alta Vista Alternative High?
The largest demographic group at Alta Vista Alternative High is Hispanic or Latino at 60.9% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alta Vista Alternative High?
Alta Vista Alternative High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alta Vista Alternative High rank among high schools in Santa Barbara?
By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista Alternative High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Santa Barbara, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Santa Barbara on the city page.
Is Alta Vista Alternative High a good school?
Alta Vista Alternative High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Santa Barbara Unified?
Besides Alta Vista Alternative High, Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students), San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students), and Santa Barbara Senior High (1,924 students). See the Santa Barbara Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.