Alta Vista Alternative High

Q: Is Alta Vista Alternative High a good school?

Alta Vista Alternative High ranks 904 th of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Alta Vista Alternative High is a public virtual high school located in Santa Barbara, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 117 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.

Despite being located very close to Santa Barbara Senior High and La Cuesta Continuation High, Alta Vista Alternative High has significantly different performance metrics, suggesting that the alternative school model and student population may be a key factor in its outcomes. The school has had fluctuating four-year graduation rates, ranging from 67.7% to 88.5% over the past few years, which is significantly lower than the nearby Dos Pueblos Senior High (96.4%) and San Marcos Senior High (93.0%). Additionally, Alta Vista Alternative High has had higher dropout rates, ranging from 4.1% to 17.7%, much higher than the dropout rates at Dos Pueblos Senior High (2.8%) and San Marcos Senior High (4.2%).

The school's performance on test scores and other metrics is particularly low for Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of California high schools for these subgroups. Furthermore, Alta Vista Alternative High's statewide ranking has declined from a high of 444 out of 2,426 California high schools in 2012-2013 to a low of 1,110 out of 2,348 in 2022-2023, indicating a concerning trend of decreasing performance over time. These challenges suggest that the alternative school model may not be as effective in this district context, and addressing the needs of vulnerable student subgroups should be a priority for the school and Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Detail:

Public, Virtual 9-12

215 East Ortega St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-1661

(805) 966-0883

District: Santa Barbara Unified

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,768

Student/teacher ratio: 12.7

Number of students: 117

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.4%

White:

22.2%

Two or more races:

6.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Alta Vista Alternative High ranks better than 61.1% of high schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 5 ranked high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 48.34. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Alta Vista Alternative High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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

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 (68.4%), White (22.2%), two or more races (6.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 67.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Alta Vista Alternative High is 12.7, which is the 2^nd best among 5 high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Alta Vista Alternative High employs 9.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Alta Vista Alternative High is $17,768, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Alta Vista Alternative High:

SchoolDigger ranks Alta Vista Alternative High 904^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Alta Vista Alternative High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Hispanic 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 Alta Vista Alternative High

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Rank History for all students at Alta Vista Alternative High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	64.11	444^th	2426	81.7%
2015	33.73	1288^th	1994	35.4%
2016	53.54	934^th	2039	54.2%
2017	42.64	1188^th	2021	41.2%
2018	60.20	796^th	2017	60.5%
2019	55.56	842^nd	2133	60.5%
2022	58.57	747^th	2123	64.8%
2023	40.90	1110^th	2348	52.7%
2024	48.34	904^th	2323	61.1%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Alta Vista Alternative High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	60.51	707^th	1862	62.0%
2019	60.24	679^th	1937	64.9%
2022	30.63	1342^nd	1943	30.9%
2024	23.67	1571^st	2235	29.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Alta Vista Alternative High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	43.47	1036^th	1760	41.1%
2019	56.21	711^th	1833	61.2%
2024	38.17	1124^th	2098	46.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Alta Vista Alternative High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	74.69	462^nd	1834	74.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Alta Vista Alternative High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.39	1272^nd	1742	27.0%
2019	40.83	1076^th	1814	40.7%
2024	7.23	2024^th	2125	4.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Alta Vista Alternative High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	60.25	533^rd	1173	54.6%
2019	51.18	602^nd	1222	50.7%

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 Alta Vista Alternative High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2012	58	3	3	32	2	0	4	102
2013	76	3	1	51	1	0	2	134
2014	72	2	0	70	1	1	9	155
2015	62	2	0	79	0	0	5	148
2016	71	0	6	73	2	1	1	154
2017	70	2	4	62	1	1	2	142
2018	57	3	6	74	1	0	4	145
2019	45	2	5	59	1	0	5	117
2020	41	1	4	70	0	0	6	122
2021	45	0	5	54	1	0	4	109
2022	37	1	1	78	1	0	8	126
2023	26	1	2	80	0	0	8	117

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 Alta Vista Alternative High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	102	3.9	25.6	97.1
2013	134	5.4	24.8	24.6
2014	155	9.6	16.1	11
2015	148	3.0	49.3	41.2
2016	154	9.0	17.1	33.1
2017	142	2.2	64.5	24.6
2018	145	7.5	19.3	37.9
2019	117	8.4	13.9	41
2020	122	n/a	n/a	43.4
2021	109	9.7	11.2	45
2022	126	11.1	11.2	68.3
2023	117	9.1	12.7	67.5

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 Alta Vista Alternative High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	102	3.9	25.6	97.1
2013	134	5.4	24.8	24.6
2014	155	9.6	16.1	11
2015	148	3.0	49.3	41.2
2016	154	9.0	17.1	33.1
2017	142	2.2	64.5	24.6
2018	145	7.5	19.3	37.9
2019	117	8.4	13.9	41
2020	122	n/a	n/a	43.4
2021	109	9.7	11.2	45
2022	126	11.1	11.2	68.3
2023	117	9.1	12.7	67.5

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 Alta Vista Alternative High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$17,768

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Alta Vista Alternative 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 842^nd of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1110^th of 2348 High schools	7.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Alta Vista Alternative High)	69.2	46.7	22.6%
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 (Alta Vista Alternative High)	25.6	7.1	18.5%
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 (Alta Vista Alternative High)	29	27.3	1.7%
11th Grade Science (Santa Barbara Unified)	40.6	35.1	5.5%
11th Grade Science (California)	30.4	31.7	1.3%
12th Grade Science (Alta Vista Alternative High)	13.8	50	36.2%
12th Grade Science (Santa Barbara Unified)	18.5	29.5	11%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.8	1.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	117	117
African American	2	1	50%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	5	2	60%
Hispanic	59	80	35.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	45	26	42.2%
Two or More Races	5	8	60%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	41%	67.5%	26.5%

Schools Near Alta Vista Alternative 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
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 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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Alta Vista Alternative High

Is Alta Vista Alternative High a good school?

Alta Vista Alternative High ranks 904^th of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Alta Vista Alternative High in?

Santa Barbara Unified

What is the racial makeup of Alta Vista Alternative High?

Students at Alta Vista Alternative High are 68% Hispanic, 22% White, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Alta Vista Alternative High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 117 students attended Alta Vista Alternative High.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.