Is Goleta Valley Junior High a good school?

Goleta Valley Junior High ranks 566 th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Goleta Valley Junior High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 717 students attended Goleta Valley Junior High.

What is the racial makeup of Goleta Valley Junior High?

Students at Goleta Valley Junior High are 47% Hispanic, 38% White, 8% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 1% African American.

What high school do graduates of Goleta Valley Junior High attend?

Students who attend Goleta Valley Junior High usually go on to attend Dos Pueblos Senior High

Goleta Valley Junior High

Summary:

Goleta Valley Junior High is a public middle school located in Goleta, California, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 717 students. The school is part of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, which is ranked 696 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Goleta Valley Junior High consistently outperforms the Santa Barbara Unified School District and the state of California in standardized test scores across various subjects and grade levels. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school had 53.51% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 49.44% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In mathematics, Goleta Valley Junior High had 48.94% of students proficient or better, compared to 39.4% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school also outperformed the district and state in science, with 43.11% of students proficient or better in the CAST/Science assessment. Goleta Valley Junior High has strong performance across different student subgroups, particularly among White and Multi-racial students, ranking in the top 8% and 15% of California middle schools, respectively.

However, the school's performance for English Language Learners, Special Education students, and Low Socioeconomic Status students is relatively lower, ranking in the bottom half of California middle schools. Additionally, Goleta Valley Junior High has seen a gradual increase in chronic absenteeism, from 11.1% in 2018-2019 to 18.4% in 2022-2023, which is an area the school may want to focus on improving. Compared to nearby schools, Goleta Valley Junior High outperforms Santa Barbara Junior High and La Cumbre Junior High in academic performance, but the nearby La Colina Junior High school performs at a similar or even higher level in many areas.

Detail:

Public 7-8

6100 Stow Canyon Rd.
Goleta, CA 93117-1705

(805) 967-3486

District: Santa Barbara Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
566^th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,572

Students who attend Goleta Valley Junior High usually attend:

High:

Dos Pueblos Senior High

Feeder schools for Goleta Valley Junior High:

Elementary:	Brandon Elementary
	Kellogg Elementary
	La Patera Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 18.3

Number of students: 717

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.3%

White:

37.8%

Two or more races:

7.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 49.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Goleta Valley Junior High to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Goleta Valley Junior High ranks better than 79.6% of middle schools in California. It also ranks 2^nd among 4 ranked middle schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 75.9. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (47.3%), White (37.8%), two or more races (7.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 49.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Goleta Valley Junior High is 18.3. 3 middle schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Goleta Valley Junior High employs 39 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Goleta Valley Junior High is $11,572. 2 middle schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Goleta Valley Junior High:

SchoolDigger ranks Goleta Valley Junior High 566^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Goleta Valley Junior High in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Santa Barbara Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Barbara Unified 696^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Goleta Valley Junior High

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Rank History for all students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	69.27	618^th	2379	74.0%
2015	69.65	649^th	2477	73.8%
2016	58.70	901^st	2497	63.9%
2017	68.64	700^th	2508	72.1%
2018	74.94	544^th	2480	78.1%
2019	79.71	492^nd	2715	81.9%
2022	78.24	523^rd	2740	80.9%
2023	79.83	490^th	2802	82.5%
2024	75.90	566^th	2777	79.6%

See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.07	47^th	462	89.8%
2019	81.47	74^th	554	86.6%
2022	85.83	57^th	665	91.4%
2023	77.56	134^th	678	80.2%
2024	80.80	107^th	699	84.7%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.55	623^rd	1364	54.3%
2019	31.40	1043^rd	1442	27.7%
2022	42.59	668^th	1540	56.6%
2023	47.75	496^th	1529	67.6%
2024	34.16	999^th	1477	32.4%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	66.85	302^nd	1538	80.4%
2024	48.20	607^th	1550	60.8%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	55.49	815^th	2230	63.5%
2019	55.02	878^th	2369	62.9%
2022	63.45	655^th	2458	73.4%
2023	62.40	692^nd	2549	72.9%
2024	51.54	986^th	2575	61.7%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	86.12	20^th	336	94.0%
2024	39.14	222^nd	394	43.7%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.43	613^th	2262	72.9%
2019	77.87	467^th	2380	80.4%
2022	72.88	562^nd	2509	77.6%
2023	77.01	492^nd	2547	80.7%
2024	78.40	470^th	2546	81.5%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	47.38	534^th	1369	61.0%
2019	57.13	439^th	1491	70.6%
2022	60.70	394^th	1531	74.3%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	40.24	118^th	193	38.9%
2023	53.26	88^th	197	55.3%
2024	31.67	122^nd	191	36.1%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	77.87	450^th	2273	80.2%
2019	79.61	429^th	2407	82.2%
2022	80.87	425^th	2527	83.2%
2023	79.95	444^th	2558	82.6%
2024	71.69	591^st	2547	76.8%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.27	419^th	700	40.1%
2019	56.49	377^th	745	49.4%
2022	69.21	251^st	733	65.8%
2023	56.53	362^nd	718	49.6%
2024	50.90	422^nd	741	43.0%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.63	739^th	2072	64.3%
2019	58.38	723^rd	2213	67.3%
2022	63.33	639^th	2359	72.9%
2023	57.42	781^st	2391	67.3%
2024	45.37	1117^th	2383	53.1%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.14	171^st	1496	88.6%
2019	89.44	93^rd	1602	94.2%
2022	81.66	216^th	1555	86.1%
2023	87.64	111^th	1552	92.8%
2024	86.83	124^th	1535	91.9%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Goleta Valley Junior High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2012	295	9	58	406	4	0	44	0	816
2013	344	7	50	425	3	0	51	0	880
2014	314	6	58	426	3	0	43	0	850
2015	275	5	50	403	3	0	26	0	762
2016	270	12	72	406	6	1	3	0	770
2017	263	10	73	401	5	0	23	0	775
2018	296	7	61	394	2	0	43	0	803
2019	281	7	56	387	1	0	52	0	784
2020	281	9	50	386	2	0	48	0	776
2021	257	3	57	394	1	0	49	0	761
2022	258	4	56	371	0	0	53	2	744
2023	271	8	43	339	0	0	55	1	717

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Goleta Valley Junior High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	816	36.0	22.6	n/a
2013	880	38.0	23.1	39.9
2014	850	38.2	22.2	40.4
2015	762	33.0	23.0	37.5
2016	770	36.0	21.3	41
2017	775	33.2	23.3	42.7
2018	803	37.2	21.5	40.7
2019	784	36.0	21.7	38.9
2020	776	n/a	n/a	39.2
2021	761	35.3	21.5	43.4
2022	744	37.3	19.9	51.7
2023	717	39.0	18.3	49.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Goleta Valley Junior High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	816	36.0	22.6	n/a
2013	880	38.0	23.1	39.9
2014	850	38.2	22.2	40.4
2015	762	33.0	23.0	37.5
2016	770	36.0	21.3	41
2017	775	33.2	23.3	42.7
2018	803	37.2	21.5	40.7
2019	784	36.0	21.7	38.9
2020	776	n/a	n/a	39.2
2021	761	35.3	21.5	43.4
2022	744	37.3	19.9	51.7
2023	717	39.0	18.3	49.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Goleta Valley Junior High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$11,572

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Goleta Valley Junior High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 492^nd of 2715 Middle schools	Ranks 490^th of 2802 Middle schools	0.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Goleta Valley Junior High)	63.3	54.4	8.9%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Barbara Unified)	58.7	53.4	5.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.4	47.4	3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Goleta Valley Junior High)	58.7	49.6	9.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Santa Barbara Unified)	50	43.6	6.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (California)	37.9	33.2	4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Goleta Valley Junior High)	61	56.6	4.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Barbara Unified)	55.3	46.7	8.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	49.4	45.7	3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Goleta Valley Junior High)	49.2	49.7	0.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Santa Barbara Unified)	50	38.5	11.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (California)	36.6	29.9	6.7%
8th Grade Science (Goleta Valley Junior High)	48.1	48.3	0.1%
8th Grade Science (Santa Barbara Unified)	41.3	35.1	6.3%
8th Grade Science (California)	30.8	28.8	2.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	784	717	8.5%
African American	7	8	14.3%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	56	43	23.2%
Hispanic	387	339	12.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	281	271	3.6%
Two or More Races	52	55	5.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	38.9%	49.1%	10.2%

Schools Near Goleta Valley Junior High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts (2024)		CAST Science (2024)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts End of Course	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Goleta Valley Junior High	Public	7-8	6100 Stow Canyon Rd.	Goleta	93117	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-3486	717	39	18.3	49.1%	271 (37.8%)	8 (1.1%)	339 (47.3%)	43 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (7.7%)	75.9	566^th of 2777 public middle schools	79.6%		79.8	490^th of 2802 public middle schools	82.5%	76			43.1	43.1		55.1	51.8	53.5		50.1	47.7	48.9	$11,572
La Colina Junior High	Public	7-8	4025 Foothill Rd.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-4506	900	41	21.8	41.9%	432 (48.0%)	5 (0.6%)	373 (41.4%)	35 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	51 (5.7%)	87.7	327^th of 2777 public middle schools	88.2%		88.2	321^st of 2802 public middle schools	88.5%	6			45.2	45.2		68.1	68.0	68.1		50.9	61.6	56.6	$10,904
La Cumbre Junior High	Public	7-8	2255 Modoc Rd.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 687-0761	458	26	17.4	89.1%	37 (8.1%)	1 (0.2%)	415 (90.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	33.1	1698^th of 2777 public middle schools	38.9%		32.7	1714^th of 2802 public middle schools	38.8%	16			14.4	14.4		39.1	27.6	33.6		25.8	25.1	25.5	$12,527
Alta Vista	Public, Virtual	7-8	215 East Ortega St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 966-0883	7	2	3.6		1 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Santa Barbara Junior High	Public	7-8	721 East Cota St.	Santa Barbara	93103	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 963-7751	560	32	17.2	78.0%	106 (18.9%)	3 (0.5%)	418 (74.6%)	5 (0.9%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.8%)	35.1	1619^th of 2777 public middle schools	41.7%		29.5	1840^th of 2802 public middle schools	34.3%	221			24.0	24.0		34.1	32.2	33.1		29.7	17.4	23.6	$11,844
Carpinteria Middle	Public	6-8	5351 Carpinteria Ave.	Carpinteria	93013	Santa Barbara County	Carpinteria Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 684-4544	406	27	15.0	80.8%	65 (16.0%)	2 (0.5%)	326 (80.3%)	7 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	54.6	1025^th of 2777 public middle schools	63.1%		47.5	1239^th of 2802 public middle schools	55.8%	214	5.3	5.3	33.9	33.9	33.1	46.5	46.2	41.3	31.4	36.9	43.3	36.9	$7,363

Goleta Valley Junior High

Goleta Valley Junior High:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Santa Barbara Unified:

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Rank History for Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for all students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Special Education students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Homeless students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Female students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Disabled students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Military Connected students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Male students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Asian students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Rank History for White students at Goleta Valley Junior High

Enrollment information for Goleta Valley Junior High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Goleta Valley Junior High

Student/Teacher Ratio Goleta Valley Junior High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Goleta Valley Junior High

Impact of COVID-19 on Goleta Valley Junior High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Goleta Valley Junior High

Frequently Asked Questions about Goleta Valley Junior High

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