Enrollment
731
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Goleta, CA
Goleta Valley Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Goleta Valley Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060141406020
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Goleta Valley Junior High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools.
- #7 of 8
- public schools in Goleta · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.7:1
- small classes for California
- 34.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Goleta Valley Junior High has class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Goleta Valley Junior High ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Goleta, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara Unified · California
NCES ID 060141406020 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Goleta Valley Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Goleta Valley Junior High
Goleta Valley Junior High is a mid-sized middle school in Goleta, California, enrolling 731 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 731 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,273 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #96, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and White (35%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 366 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students) and San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students) alongside Goleta Valley Junior 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 Goleta Valley Junior High compares
Goleta Valley Junior 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 | 18.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.7% | ▼ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 731 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
731
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in California - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 366 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 48.8%
White 35.3%
Two or More 8.1%
Asian 6.7%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.6, Goleta Valley Junior High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Barbara Unified, which includes Goleta Valley Junior 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 Goleta Valley Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Pueblos Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Marcos Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Colina Junior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Barbara Junior High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Goleta Valley Junior 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
- 512
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar middle 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 (~731 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Goleta Valley Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Goleta Valley Junior 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 Goleta Valley Junior High
How many students attend Goleta Valley Junior High?
Goleta Valley Junior High has 731 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Goleta, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Goleta Valley Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Goleta Valley Junior High is 18.7:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 19% higher 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 Goleta Valley Junior High?
34.7% of students at Goleta Valley Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Goleta Valley Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Goleta Valley Junior High is Hispanic or Latino at 48.8% of enrollment, in Goleta, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Goleta Valley Junior High?
Goleta Valley Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Goleta Valley Junior High rank among public schools in Goleta?
By Resource Investment Index, Goleta Valley Junior High ranks #7 of 8 public schools in Goleta, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Goleta on the city page.
Is Goleta Valley Junior High a good school?
Goleta Valley Junior High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% 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 Goleta Valley Junior 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.