Enrollment
1,924
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Santa Barbara Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 060141406031
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Santa Barbara Senior High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #4 of 4
- high schools in Santa Barbara · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.9:1
- small classes for California
- 48.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Santa Barbara Senior High has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara Senior High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Santa Barbara, CA.
School address
District: Santa Barbara Unified · California
NCES ID 060141406031 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
102.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Santa Barbara Senior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Santa Barbara Senior High
Santa Barbara Senior High is a large high school in Santa Barbara, California, enrolling 1,924 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 48.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,924 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 301 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #37.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and White (30%) (diversity index 52/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 9 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 214 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Santa Barbara's high schools, it stands alongside San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students): Santa Barbara Senior High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.9:1 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 Santa Barbara Senior 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 Senior High compares
Santa Barbara Senior 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 | 18.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.6% | ▼ 12% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,924 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,924
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.1%
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
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 214 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 32 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 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 62.6%
White 30.1%
Two or More 4.5%
Asian 1.7%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.5, Santa Barbara Senior High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Santa Barbara Unified, which includes Santa Barbara Senior 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 Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Pueblos Senior High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Marcos Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| La Colina Junior High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Goleta Valley Junior High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Barbara Junior High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Santa Barbara Senior 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
- 832
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 512
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~1,924 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Santa Barbara Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Santa Barbara Senior 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 Senior High
How many students attend Santa Barbara Senior High?
Santa Barbara Senior High has 1,924 students enrolled. It is a high school in Santa Barbara, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Santa Barbara Senior High is 18.9:1, which is 12% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Senior High?
48.6% of students at Santa Barbara Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Santa Barbara Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Santa Barbara Senior High is Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment, in Santa Barbara, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Santa Barbara Senior High?
Santa Barbara Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Santa Barbara Senior High rank among high schools in Santa Barbara?
By Resource Investment Index, Santa Barbara Senior High ranks #4 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 Santa Barbara Senior High a good school?
Santa Barbara Senior High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Senior High, Santa Barbara Unified also operates Dos Pueblos Senior High (2,149 students), San Marcos Senior High (1,926 students), and La Colina Junior High (832 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.