Is Santa Barbara Senior High a good school?

Santa Barbara Senior High ranks 1256 th of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Santa Barbara Senior High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 2,107 students attended Santa Barbara Senior High.

What is the racial makeup of Santa Barbara Senior High?

Students at Santa Barbara Senior High are 62% Hispanic, 32% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools feed into Santa Barbara Senior High?

Santa Barbara Senior High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Cleveland Elementary Elementary : Franklin Elementary Elementary : McKinley Elementary Elementary : Peabody Charter Elementary : Roosevelt Elementary Elementary : Washington Elementary Middle : Santa Barbara Junior High

Santa Barbara Senior High

Summary:

Santa Barbara Senior High is a public high school in Santa Barbara, California, serving 2,107 students in grades 9-12 and part of the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

While the school has a relatively high four-year graduation rate, it has consistently underperformed compared to district and state averages in standardized test scores, with significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 37.09% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 51.22% for the district and 55.73% for the state. The school has also experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 15.1% in 2017-2018 to 32.1% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with some groups, such as Asian and White students, performing better than the overall school average, while others, such as Hispanic, English Language Learner, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, perform significantly worse.

Interestingly, nearby schools like Dos Pueblos Senior High and San Marcos Senior High consistently outperform Santa Barbara Senior High in academic measures, while alternative and continuation high schools in the area have much lower academic performance and higher rates of chronic absenteeism and dropout. The school's declining performance over time, from a rank of 451 and 4 stars in 2018-2019 to a rank of 1256 and 2 stars in 2023-2024, is concerning and suggests that the school may need to implement targeted interventions and support systems to address these challenges and improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public 9-12

700 East Anapamu St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103-2384

(805) 966-9101

District: Santa Barbara Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1256^th of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,746

Feeder schools for Santa Barbara Senior High:

Elementary:	Cleveland Elementary
	Franklin Elementary
	McKinley Elementary
	Peabody Charter
	More...
	Roosevelt Elementary
	Washington Elementary
Middle:	Santa Barbara Junior High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.6

Number of students: 2,107

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.6%

White:

31.9%

Two or more races:

3.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 61.3%

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Compare Santa Barbara Senior High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Santa Barbara Senior High ranks worse than 54.1% of high schools in California. It also ranks 4^th among 5 ranked high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 35.49. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Santa Barbara Senior High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 Santa Barbara Senior High has the largest high school student body size in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (61.6%), White (31.9%), two or more races (3.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 61.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Santa Barbara Senior High is 20.6. 2 high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Santa Barbara Senior High employs 102.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Santa Barbara Senior High is $11,746, which is the lowest among 5 high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Santa Barbara Senior High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Barbara Senior High 1256^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Santa Barbara Senior High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status 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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Your rating for Santa Barbara Senior High?

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Rank History for Santa Barbara Senior High

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Rank History for all students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	51.37	751^st	2426	69.0%
2015	59.06	761^st	1994	61.8%
2016	56.59	866^th	2039	57.5%
2017	61.31	764^th	2021	62.2%
2018	67.40	646^th	2017	68.0%
2019	75.10	451^st	2133	78.9%
2022	48.45	967^th	2123	54.5%
2023	42.00	1074^th	2348	54.3%
2024	35.49	1256^th	2323	45.9%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	16.82	631^st	786	19.7%
2024	10.75	701^st	804	12.8%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.03	350^th	938	62.7%
2019	28.11	856^th	941	9.0%
2022	29.49	838^th	1044	19.7%
2023	26.94	948^th	1323	28.3%
2024	25.90	1012^th	1350	25.0%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	37.54	756^th	1547	51.1%
2024	34.40	852^nd	1534	44.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	43.67	1109^th	1862	40.4%
2019	52.58	860^th	1937	55.6%
2022	31.71	1317^th	1943	32.2%
2023	32.34	1354^th	2247	39.7%
2024	29.82	1431^st	2235	36.0%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	51.13	128^th	290	55.9%
2023	31.58	276^th	417	33.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	67.08	575^th	1760	67.3%
2019	77.33	367^th	1833	80.0%
2022	53.38	747^th	1858	59.8%
2023	44.62	957^th	2118	54.8%
2024	43.20	998^th	2098	52.4%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.58	666^th	1052	36.7%
2019	42.42	514^th	1117	54.0%
2022	35.49	675^th	1161	41.9%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	9.79	160^th	168	4.8%
2023	11.85	218^th	233	6.4%
2024	18.67	204^th	234	12.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.68	677^th	1834	63.1%
2019	67.84	521^st	1880	72.3%
2022	38.95	1076^th	1916	43.8%
2023	37.38	1123^rd	2207	49.1%
2024	26.25	1430^th	2172	34.2%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	30.42	508^th	712	28.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.35	833^rd	1742	52.2%
2019	64.22	550^th	1814	69.7%
2022	30.96	1289^th	1861	30.7%
2023	33.86	1275^th	2142	40.5%
2024	30.23	1366^th	2125	35.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	76.20	282^nd	1173	76.0%
2019	81.70	176^th	1222	85.6%
2022	61.93	439^th	1204	63.5%
2023	47.89	630^th	1434	56.1%
2024	30.82	890^th	1406	36.7%

See the entire list of Best California High 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 Santa Barbara Senior High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2012	870	43	38	1171	9	2	35	0	2168
2013	880	32	42	1198	16	2	48	0	2218
2014	817	26	45	1224	14	4	47	0	2177
2015	847	24	46	1258	12	2	43	0	2232
2016	842	30	56	1226	22	4	8	0	2188
2017	768	30	55	1226	16	4	13	0	2112
2018	813	29	61	1209	15	4	17	0	2148
2019	786	33	56	1229	16	4	30	0	2154
2020	787	30	49	1272	12	6	35	0	2191
2021	770	25	37	1286	7	5	54	1	2185
2022	735	24	37	1298	7	2	71	4	2178
2023	673	15	33	1297	7	2	73	7	2107

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 Santa Barbara Senior High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	2168	92.0	23.5	n/a
2013	2218	87.6	25.3	42.1
2014	2177	88.4	24.6	39.9
2015	2232	97.0	23.0	43.3
2016	2188	91.0	24.0	39.9
2017	2112	82.2	25.6	43.5
2018	2148	84.6	25.3	47.3
2019	2154	85.1	25.3	46.6
2020	2191	n/a	n/a	41.5
2021	2185	91.7	23.8	48.8
2022	2178	102.0	21.3	57.6
2023	2107	102.2	20.6	61.3

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 Santa Barbara Senior High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	2168	92.0	23.5	n/a
2013	2218	87.6	25.3	42.1
2014	2177	88.4	24.6	39.9
2015	2232	97.0	23.0	43.3
2016	2188	91.0	24.0	39.9
2017	2112	82.2	25.6	43.5
2018	2148	84.6	25.3	47.3
2019	2154	85.1	25.3	46.6
2020	2191	n/a	n/a	41.5
2021	2185	91.7	23.8	48.8
2022	2178	102.0	21.3	57.6
2023	2107	102.2	20.6	61.3

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 Santa Barbara Senior High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$11,746

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Santa Barbara Senior 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 451^st of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1074^th of 2348 High schools	24.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Barbara Senior High)	61.5	42.8	18.7%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Barbara Unified)	60	55.3	4.7%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Santa Barbara Senior High)	37.3	22.1	15.3%
11th Grade Mathematics (Santa Barbara Unified)	40.5	31.7	8.8%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
11th Grade Science (Santa Barbara Senior High)	38.8	22.1	16.7%
11th Grade Science (Santa Barbara Unified)	40.6	35.1	5.5%
11th Grade Science (California)	30.4	31.7	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	2154	2107	2.2%
African American	33	15	54.5%
American Indian	16	7	56.3%
Asian	56	33	41.1%
Hispanic	1229	1297	5.5%
Pacific Islander	4	2	50%
White	786	673	14.4%
Two or More Races	30	73	143.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	46.6%	61.3%	14.8%

Schools Near Santa Barbara Senior High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				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	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Santa Barbara Senior High	Public	9-12	700 East Anapamu St.	Santa Barbara	93103	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 966-9101	2,107	102	20.6	61.3%	673 (31.9%)	15 (0.7%)	1,297 (61.6%)	33 (1.6%)	7 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	73 (3.5%)	35.5	1256^th of 2323 public high schools	45.9%		42	1074^th of 2348 public high schools	54.3%	182		19.6		19.5			37.1	37.1			19.5	19.5	$11,746
Alta Vista Alternative High	Public, Virtual	9-12	215 East Ortega St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 966-0883	117	9	12.7	67.5%	26 (22.2%)	1 (0.9%)	80 (68.4%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.8%)	48.3	904^th of 2323 public high schools	61.1%		40.9	1110^th of 2348 public high schools	52.7%	206		29.2	36.4	31.4			33.3	33.3			25.0	25.0	$17,768
La Cuesta Continuation High	Public	9-12	710 Santa Barbara St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 966-0883	80	8	9.9	87.5%	6 (7.5%)	1 (1.3%)	70 (87.5%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7.6	2205^th of 2323 public high schools	5.1%		7.4	2241^st of 2348 public high schools	4.6%	36		0.0		0.0			9.1	9.1			0.0	0.0	$23,703
Santa Barbara County Community	Public	5-12	4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-5307	9	2	4.3	66.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4.4	2314^th of 2323 public high schools	0.4%		4.2	2330^th of 2348 public high schools	0.8%	16	0.0			0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	$29,687
Santa Barbara County Regional Occupational Program-South	Public	9-12	4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd.	Santa Barbara	93160	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(805) 967-4711	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court	Public	5-12	4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-5307	19	4	4.7	84.2%	1 (5.3%)	1 (5.3%)	17 (89.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$3,725
San Marcos Senior High	Public	9-12	4750 Hollister Ave.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-4581	2,020	94	21.5	57.1%	709 (35.1%)	9 (0.4%)	1,154 (57.1%)	58 (2.9%)	5 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	78 (3.9%)	60.3	629^th of 2323 public high schools	72.9%		62.5	608^th of 2348 public high schools	74.1%	21		33.2		33.2			50.4	50.4			32.1	32.1	$12,018
Carpinteria Senior High	Public	9-12	4810 Foothill Rd.	Carpinteria	93013	Santa Barbara County	Carpinteria Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 684-4107	653	36	18.2	70.3%	134 (20.5%)	1 (0.2%)	495 (75.8%)	9 (1.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.5%)	39.2	1155^th of 2323 public high schools	50.3%		45.3	988^th of 2348 public high schools	57.9%	167		18.0		17.7			40.6	40.6			24.0	24.0	$8,649
Dos Pueblos Senior High	Public	9-12	7266 Alameda Ave.	Goleta	93117	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 968-2541	2,034	96	21.2	43.7%	816 (40.1%)	17 (0.8%)	922 (45.3%)	136 (6.7%)	5 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	132 (6.5%)	84.2	261^st of 2323 public high schools	88.8%		87	219^th of 2348 public high schools	90.7%	42		48.8	10.5	47.4			68.5	68.5			47.0	47.0	$11,880

Santa Barbara Senior High

Santa Barbara Senior High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Santa Barbara Unified:

What do you think?

Rank History for Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for all students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Special Education students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Homeless students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Female students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Disabled students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Military Connected students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Male students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Asian students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Rank History for White students at Santa Barbara Senior High

Enrollment information for Santa Barbara Senior High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Santa Barbara Senior High

Student/Teacher Ratio Santa Barbara Senior High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Santa Barbara Senior High

Impact of COVID-19 on Santa Barbara Senior High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Santa Barbara Senior High

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Barbara Senior High

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