Enrollment
269
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Goleta, CA
Santa Barbara Charter
Federal NCES profile for Santa Barbara Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060141402792Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Barbara Charter earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #6 of 6
- elementary schools in Goleta · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22.4:1
- students per teacher
- 19.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Barbara Charter has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara Charter ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Goleta, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara Unified · California
NCES ID 060141402792 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Barbara Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Barbara Charter
Santa Barbara Charter is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Goleta, California, enrolling 269 students.
At 22.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.8% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the California average.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 383 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #43.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 58/100).
16.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Goleta's elementary schools, it stands alongside Brandon Elementary (429 students): Santa Barbara Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (22.4:1 vs 18.7:1).
Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students) and San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students) alongside Santa Barbara Charter.
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 Santa Barbara Charter compares
Santa Barbara Charter on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.8% | ▼ 64% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.4:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 57% in California - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
16.4%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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: 0.7 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
White 58.4%
Hispanic or Latino 26.4%
Two or More 9.3%
Asian 5.9%
Largest group: White at 58.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.7, Santa Barbara Charter 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 Santa Barbara Charter.
$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 Santa Barbara Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Pueblos Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| San Marcos Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Santa Barbara Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| La Colina Junior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Goleta Valley Junior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Barbara Charter'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 elementary schools in Goleta
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Brandon Elementary
Standard public school
429 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Isla Vista Elementary
Standard public school
418 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Kellogg Elementary
Standard public school
369 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
La Patera Elementary
Standard public school
369 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Ellwood Elementary
Standard public school
303 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~269 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Barbara Charter's federal record.
- Compare Santa Barbara Charter 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 Santa Barbara Charter
How many students attend Santa Barbara Charter?
Santa Barbara Charter has 269 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Goleta, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara Charter is 22.4:1, which is 4% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Santa Barbara Charter?
19.8% of students at Santa Barbara Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Barbara Charter?
The largest demographic group at Santa Barbara Charter is White at 58.4% of enrollment, in Goleta, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Barbara Charter?
Santa Barbara Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Santa Barbara Charter rank among elementary schools in Goleta?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara Charter ranks #6 of 6 elementary 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 elementary schools in Goleta on the city page.
Is Santa Barbara Charter a good school?
Santa Barbara Charter earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Santa Barbara Charter, 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.