Enrollment
77
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Barbara, CA
La Cuesta Continuation High
Federal NCES profile for La Cuesta Continuation High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060141406023
👥 S:T ratio 62
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 85
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
La Cuesta Continuation High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 4
- high schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.6:1
- small classes for California
- 76.3%
- free-lunch eligible
La Cuesta Continuation High has class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, La Cuesta Continuation High ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Santa Barbara, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara Unified · California
NCES ID 060141406023 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.3%
vs 55.5% California avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Cuesta Continuation High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at La Cuesta Continuation High
La Cuesta Continuation High is a high-poverty, small high school in Santa Barbara, California, enrolling 77 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.6:1, La Cuesta Continuation High is leaner than roughly 96% of California schools and 55% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of California schools, with 77 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 211 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #9, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 77 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Among Santa Barbara's high schools, it stands alongside San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students): La Cuesta Continuation High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.6:1 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 La Cuesta Continuation 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 La Cuesta Continuation High compares
La Cuesta Continuation 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 | 9.6:1 | ▼ 55% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.3% | ▲ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 77 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
77
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 55% below state mean
Top 4% in California - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 77 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 94.8%
White 3.9%
Two or More 1.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, La Cuesta Continuation High is less 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 La Cuesta Continuation 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 La Cuesta Continuation 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 | Lower 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 La Cuesta Continuation 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 (~77 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on La Cuesta Continuation High's federal record.
- Compare La Cuesta Continuation 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 La Cuesta Continuation High
How many students attend La Cuesta Continuation High?
La Cuesta Continuation High has 77 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Cuesta Continuation High?
The student-teacher ratio at La Cuesta Continuation High is 9.6:1, which is 55% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 39% 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 La Cuesta Continuation High?
76.3% of students at La Cuesta Continuation High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Cuesta Continuation High?
The largest demographic group at La Cuesta Continuation High is Hispanic or Latino at 94.8% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Cuesta Continuation High?
La Cuesta Continuation High has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does La Cuesta Continuation High rank among high schools in Santa Barbara?
By Resource Investment Index, La Cuesta Continuation High ranks #1 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 La Cuesta Continuation High a good school?
La Cuesta Continuation High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 La Cuesta Continuation 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.