Is La Colina Junior High a good school?

La Colina Junior High ranks 327 th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend La Colina Junior High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 893 students attended La Colina Junior High.

What is the racial makeup of La Colina Junior High?

Students at La Colina Junior High are 51% White, 40% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

La Colina Junior High

Summary:

La Colina Junior High is a public middle school located in Santa Barbara, California, serving grades 7-8 with an enrollment of around 900 students. It 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.

La Colina 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. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, La Colina had 68.07% 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, La Colina had 56.62% proficiency, while the district and state had 39.4% and 35.54%, respectively. The school also performs exceptionally well for certain student subgroups, such as Asian and White students, but has room for improvement in addressing the needs of other subgroups like Hispanic, Multi-racial, and Special Education students.

While La Colina Junior High outperforms the district and state, it is not the top-performing school in the immediate vicinity. Goleta Valley Junior High, which is about 4.5 miles away, consistently ranks higher than La Colina in the statewide school digger rankings and has higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Additionally, La Colina Junior High has seen a gradual increase in chronic absenteeism, from 7.9% in 2017-2018 to 18.9% in 2022-2023, which is a concern that the school may need to address through targeted interventions.

Detail:

Public 7-8

4025 Foothill Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93110-1298

(805) 967-4506

District: Santa Barbara Unified

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,904

Feeder schools for La Colina Junior High:

Elementary:	El Camino Elementary
	Foothill Elementary
	Hope Elementary
	Monte Vista Elementary
	More...
	Mountain View Elementary
	Vieja Valley Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 20.1

Number of students: 893

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.6%

Hispanic:

39.9%

Two or more races:

5.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 41.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare La Colina Junior High to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details La Colina Junior High ranks better than 88.2% of middle schools in California. It also ranks first among 4 ranked middle schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 87.72. (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 La Colina Junior High has the largest middle school student body size in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Racial makeup is: White (50.6%), Hispanic (39.9%), two or more races (5.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 41.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Colina Junior High is 20.1, which is the highest among 5 middle schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare La Colina Junior High employs 44.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Colina Junior High is $10,904. 3 middle schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Colina Junior High:

SchoolDigger ranks La Colina Junior High 327^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See La Colina Junior High in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial 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 La Colina Junior High

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Rank History for all students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	73.48	499^th	2379	79.0%
2015	86.16	308^th	2477	87.6%
2016	87.47	285^th	2497	88.6%
2017	90.00	239^th	2508	90.5%
2018	87.49	299^th	2480	87.9%
2019	87.55	319^th	2715	88.3%
2022	81.61	443^rd	2740	83.8%
2023	88.22	321^st	2802	88.5%
2024	87.72	327^th	2777	88.2%

See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.84	75^th	462	83.8%
2019	76.89	117^th	554	78.9%
2022	78.69	118^th	665	82.3%
2023	78.04	130^th	678	80.8%
2024	67.49	228^th	699	67.4%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	75.19	139^th	1529	90.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	67.42	295^th	1538	80.8%
2024	46.13	638^th	1550	58.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.55	390^th	2230	82.5%
2019	66.62	573^rd	2369	75.8%
2022	61.76	696^th	2458	71.7%
2023	73.41	450^th	2549	82.3%
2024	68.80	554^th	2575	78.5%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	74.28	58^th	336	82.7%
2023	85.14	27^th	321	91.6%
2024	91.31	16^th	394	95.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.85	280^th	2262	87.6%
2019	87.93	273^rd	2380	88.5%
2022	82.43	386^th	2509	84.6%
2023	87.76	288^th	2547	88.7%
2024	88.69	274^th	2546	89.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	51.38	471^st	1369	65.6%
2019	58.50	417^th	1491	72.0%
2022	53.22	504^th	1531	67.1%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	35.71	127^th	193	34.2%
2023	42.26	112^th	197	43.1%
2024	64.63	69^th	191	63.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.66	288^th	2273	87.3%
2019	85.59	328^th	2407	86.4%
2022	78.58	460^th	2527	81.8%
2023	86.74	320^th	2558	87.5%
2024	84.50	348^th	2547	86.3%

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

Rank History for Asian students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.75	308^th	700	56.0%
2019	52.31	411^th	745	44.8%
2022	67.10	272^nd	733	62.9%
2023	82.91	68^th	718	90.5%
2024	85.60	38^th	741	94.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	69.79	454^th	2072	78.1%
2019	73.06	435^th	2213	80.3%
2022	55.47	840^th	2359	64.4%
2023	74.83	405^th	2391	83.1%
2024	75.37	410^th	2383	82.8%

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

Rank History for White students at La Colina Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	90.94	53^rd	1496	96.5%
2019	89.16	98^th	1602	93.9%
2022	84.19	158^th	1555	89.8%
2023	90.46	66^th	1552	95.7%
2024	87.40	118^th	1535	92.3%

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 La Colina Junior High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2012	415	13	54	299	2	2	43	0	828
2013	414	13	45	338	0	2	34	0	846
2014	406	13	48	340	3	1	28	0	839
2015	435	11	52	318	3	0	12	0	831
2016	524	12	62	342	5	1	1	0	947
2017	526	10	61	349	3	1	11	0	961
2018	452	8	38	370	1	2	30	0	901
2019	452	8	42	365	2	2	40	0	911
2020	420	5	31	346	3	2	48	0	855
2021	445	5	42	341	3	2	49	1	888
2022	418	5	40	369	3	2	60	1	898
2023	432	5	35	373	2	2	51	0	900
2024	452	4	29	356	3	2	47	0	893

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 La Colina Junior High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	828	35.8	23.1	n/a
2013	846	36.1	23.4	31
2014	839	33.9	24.7	28.7
2015	831	35.0	23.7	23.6
2016	947	39.0	24.2	24.9
2017	961	34.4	27.9	27.4
2018	901	38.6	23.3	34.7
2019	911	39.8	22.8	29.7
2020	855	n/a	n/a	29.8
2021	888	38.6	23.0	34.8
2022	898	40.2	22.3	41.9
2023	900	41.1	21.8	41.9
2024	893	44.4	20.1	41.9

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 La Colina Junior High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	828	35.8	23.1	n/a
2013	846	36.1	23.4	31
2014	839	33.9	24.7	28.7
2015	831	35.0	23.7	23.6
2016	947	39.0	24.2	24.9
2017	961	34.4	27.9	27.4
2018	901	38.6	23.3	34.7
2019	911	39.8	22.8	29.7
2020	855	n/a	n/a	29.8
2021	888	38.6	23.0	34.8
2022	898	40.2	22.3	41.9
2023	900	41.1	21.8	41.9
2024	893	44.4	20.1	41.9

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 La Colina Junior High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$10,904

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on La Colina 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 319^th of 2715 Middle schools	Ranks 321^st of 2802 Middle schools	0.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (La Colina Junior High)	71.2	72.5	1.3%
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 (La Colina Junior High)	65.5	57.1	8.4%
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 (La Colina Junior High)	62.2	61.9	0.2%
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 (La Colina Junior High)	64.1	55.7	8.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (Santa Barbara Unified)	50	38.5	11.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (California)	36.6	29.9	6.7%
8th Grade Science (La Colina Junior High)	52.7	44.8	7.9%
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	911	900	1.2%
African American	8	5	37.5%
American Indian	2	2
Asian	42	35	16.7%
Hispanic	365	373	2.2%
Pacific Islander	2	2
White	452	432	4.4%
Two or More Races	40	51	27.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	29.7%	41.9%	12.1%

Schools Near La Colina 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
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	893	44	20.1	41.9%	452 (50.6%)	4 (0.4%)	356 (39.9%)	29 (3.2%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	47 (5.3%)	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	450	28	16.0	90.0%	32 (7.1%)	3 (0.7%)	407 (90.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	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	7-9	215 East Ortega St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 966-0883	4	1	3.7		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (100.0%)	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	502	33	15.1	78.5%	63 (12.5%)	3 (0.6%)	410 (81.7%)	6 (1.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	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
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	736	38	19.5	48.5%	279 (37.9%)	9 (1.2%)	353 (48.0%)	37 (5.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.6%)	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
Carpinteria Middle	Public	6-8	5351 Carpinteria Ave.	Carpinteria	93013	Santa Barbara County	Carpinteria Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 684-4544	402	28	14.5	77.4%	69 (17.2%)	3 (0.7%)	313 (77.9%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.7%)	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

La Colina Junior High

La Colina Junior High:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Santa Barbara Unified:

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Rank History for La Colina Junior High

Rank History for all students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Multi-racial students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Special Education students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Homeless students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Female students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Disabled students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Military Connected students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Male students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Asian students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Colina Junior High

Rank History for White students at La Colina Junior High

Enrollment information for La Colina Junior High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at La Colina Junior High

Student/Teacher Ratio La Colina Junior High

Per Pupil Expenditures for La Colina Junior High

Impact of COVID-19 on La Colina Junior High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near La Colina Junior High

Frequently Asked Questions about La Colina Junior High

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