Enrollment
49
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara County Special Education
Federal NCES profile for Santa Barbara County Special Education, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 069103407192
👥 S:T ratio 78
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Barbara County Special Education earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools.
- #4 of 5
- schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 5.4:1
- small classes for California
- 67.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Barbara County Special Education has class sizes smaller than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara County Special Education ranks #4 of 5 schools in Santa Barbara, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara County Office of Education · California
NCES ID 069103407192 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-75% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Barbara County Special Education compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Barbara County Special Education
Santa Barbara County Special Education is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Santa Barbara, California, enrolling 49 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.4:1, Santa Barbara County Special Education is leaner than roughly 99% of California schools and 75% 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 67.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of California schools, with 49 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 152 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #80.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 69.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Santa Barbara's public schools, it stands alongside Trivium Charter School Voyage (297 students): Santa Barbara County Special Education is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (5.4:1 vs 18.6:1).
Santa Barbara County Office of Education also operates Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court (31 students) and Santa Barbara County Community (27 students) alongside Santa Barbara County Special Education.
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 County Special Education compares
Santa Barbara County Special Education on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5.4:1 | ▼ 75% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.2% | ▲ 21% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 49 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.4:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
49
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
5.4:1
students per teacher
- 75% below state mean
Top 1% in California - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
69.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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 85.7%
Asian 6.1%
White 4.1%
Two or More 4.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 85.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.8, Santa Barbara County Special Education is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
How Santa Barbara County Special Education Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Barbara County Community | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Barbara County Special Education's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 7.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar other schools in Santa Barbara
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Trivium Charter School Voyage
Standard public school
297 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Olive Grove Charter - Santa Barbara
Standard public school
74 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court
Alternative education program
31 students 7.8:1 students per teacher
Santa Barbara County Community
Alternative education program
27 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~49 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Barbara County Special Education's federal record.
- Compare Santa Barbara County Special Education against another school. Compare schools
- Santa Barbara County Office of Education'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 County Special Education
How many students attend Santa Barbara County Special Education?
Santa Barbara County Special Education has 49 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara County Special Education?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara County Special Education is 5.4:1, which is 75% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 66% 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 Santa Barbara County Special Education?
67.2% of students at Santa Barbara County Special Education are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Barbara County Special Education?
The largest demographic group at Santa Barbara County Special Education is Hispanic or Latino at 85.7% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Barbara County Special Education?
Santa Barbara County Special Education has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 County Special Education rank among schools in Santa Barbara?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara County Special Education ranks #4 of 5 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 schools in Santa Barbara on the city page.
Is Santa Barbara County Special Education a good school?
Santa Barbara County Special Education earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% 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 County Office of Education?
Besides Santa Barbara County Special Education, Santa Barbara County Office of Education also operates Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court (31 students) and Santa Barbara County Community (27 students). See the Santa Barbara County Office of Education district page for the complete list.
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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.