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Santa Barbara Unified School District

720 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2232
(District boundaries shown in map)
7/
10
Top 50%
<Âé¶¹¹û¶³´«Ã½ class="so-dt-title" id="top-rankings">Top Rankings

Santa Barbara Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:

Category
Attribute
Graduation Rate
Highest graduation rate (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026 school year, there is 1 public charter school serving 290 students in Santa Barbara Unified School District. This district's average charter testing ranking is 9/10, which is in the top 20% of public charter schools in California.
Public Charter School in Santa Barbara Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 52% (versus the California public charter school average of 32%), and reading proficiency score of 62% (versus the 48% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 41% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the California public charter school average of 75% (majority Hispanic).
<Âé¶¹¹û¶³´«Ã½ class='so-dt-title' id="overview">Overview
This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
21 Schools
1,297 Schools
# Students
12,484 Students
710,098 Students
# Teachers
644 Teachers
31,350 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
19:1
<Âé¶¹¹û¶³´«Ã½ class='so-dt-title' id="student-by-grade">Student By Grade
<Âé¶¹¹û¶³´«Ã½ class='so-dt-title' id="district-rank">District Rank
Santa Barbara Unified School District, which is ranked #630 of all 1,908 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 92% has increased from 91% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#599 out of 1932 school districts
(Top 50%)
38%
34%
48%
47%
33%
29%
92%
87%
<Âé¶¹¹û¶³´«Ã½ class='so-dt-title' id="students-by-ethnicity">Students by Ethnicity:
0.55
0.65
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
3%
7%
% Hispanic
60%
53%
% Black
1%
7%
% White
30%
25%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
6%
7%
All Ethnic Groups
<Âé¶¹¹û¶³´«Ã½ class="so-dt-title" id="district-revenue-and-spending">District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $18,994 in this school district is less than the state median of $19,974. The school district revenue/student has grown by 16% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $19,002 is higher than the state median of $18,395. The school district spending/student has grown by 7% over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$237 MM
$116,387 MM
Spending
$237 MM
$107,188 MM
Revenue / Student
$18,994
$19,974
Spending / Student
$19,002
$18,395

Best Santa Barbara Unified School District Public Charter Schools (2026)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Santa Barbara Charter
Charter School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
6100 Stow Canyon Rd.
Goleta, CA 93117
(805) 967-6522
Gr: K-8 | 290 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 41%

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Quick Facts (2026)

  • District size: 21 schools
  • Grades: K-12
  • Enrollment: 12,484 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 69%
  • : 92% (Top 20% in CA)
  • : Top 50%
  • : 38% (Top 30%)
  • : 48% (Top 50%)
  • : 33% (Top 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

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