Enrollment
512
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Santa Barbara Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 060141406030
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Barbara Junior High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools.
- #4 of 4
- middle schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- small classes for California
- 68.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Barbara Junior High has class sizes smaller than 87% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara Junior High ranks #4 of 4 middle schools in Santa Barbara, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara Unified · California
NCES ID 060141406030 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Barbara Junior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Barbara Junior High
Santa Barbara Junior High is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Santa Barbara, California, enrolling 512 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16:1, Santa Barbara Junior High is leaner than roughly 87% of California schools and 26% 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 68.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 512 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 2,149 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #92, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 171 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Santa Barbara's middle schools, it stands alongside La Colina Junior High (832 students): Santa Barbara Junior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16:1 vs 20.3:1).
Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students) and San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students) alongside Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara Junior High compares
Santa Barbara 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 | 16:1 | ▼ 26% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.6% | ▲ 24% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
512
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
16:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 13% in California - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.3%
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.
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 171 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.0 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 83.0%
White 12.7%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 83.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.4, Santa Barbara Junior High is less 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 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 Santa Barbara Junior 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 Santa Barbara 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
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar middle schools in Santa Barbara
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~512 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Barbara Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara Junior High
How many students attend Santa Barbara Junior High?
Santa Barbara Junior High has 512 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara Junior High is 16:1, which is 26% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 2% 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 Santa Barbara Junior High?
68.6% of students at Santa Barbara Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Barbara Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Santa Barbara Junior High is Hispanic or Latino at 83.0% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Barbara Junior High?
Santa Barbara Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Santa Barbara Junior High rank among middle schools in Santa Barbara?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara Junior High ranks #4 of 4 middle 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 middle schools in Santa Barbara on the city page.
Is Santa Barbara Junior High a good school?
Santa Barbara Junior High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Santa Barbara 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.