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Best Public Schools in Solvang, CA

At a glance

Schools

1,527

Students

Districts

Top rankedBallard Elementary756^th of 5,857 California elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Santa Ynez Valley Union High up 221 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Solvang, California, is served by four public schools across three separate districts, offering education from kindergarten through 12th grade, with two elementary schools and two high schools presenting a varied educational landscape.

For elementary education, Ballard Elementary stands out as the highest-performing school in the area, achieving significantly higher test scores in English, math, and science than both the state average and nearby Solvang Elementary. Ballard also has a lower student-teacher ratio and a lower percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Solvang Elementary, while performing above state averages, shows a notable dip in middle-grade math proficiency that recovers by 8th grade.

At the high school level, Santa Ynez Valley Union High is a large, successful school with a stellar 97.7% graduation rate and strong, improving academic rankings. In stark contrast, Refugio High, which shares an address, is a very small school serving at-risk students with severe challenges in attendance and historically low graduation rates, highlighting two distinct high school experiences within the same Santa Ynez Valley Union High district.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Varicella KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ballard Elementary	Public	K-6	2425 School St.	Solvang	93463	Santa Barbara County	Ballard Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-4812	113	7	16.1	10.6%	89 (78.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (12.4%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.1%)	88.3	756^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.1%		92	568^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.3%	188	50.0			50.0	55.0	86.4	78.6	93.3				77.5	70.0	68.2	50.0	73.3				66.2			$55,723	$55,468	$255
Santa Ynez Valley Union High	Public	9-12	2975 Mission Dr.	Solvang	93463	Santa Barbara County	Santa Ynez Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-6487	801	41	19.3	27.1%	358 (44.7%)	3 (0.4%)	400 (49.9%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.1%)	73.6	524^th of 2162 public high schools	75.8%		61	745^th of 2159 public high schools	65.5%	221			39.9	39.4							61.3	61.3							37.7	37.7			$36,487	$36,304	$183
Refugio High	Public	9-12	2975 Mission Dr.	Solvang	93463	Santa Barbara County	Santa Ynez Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-6487	11	1	11.0	36.4%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (81.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (18.2%)								(n/a)																							$60,200	$60,200	$00
Solvang Elementary	Public	K-8	565 Atterdag Rd.	Solvang	93463	Santa Barbara County	Solvang Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 688-4810	602	31	19.3	38.2%	197 (32.7%)	3 (0.5%)	348 (57.8%)	5 (0.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.3%)	50.8	2557^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.3%		56.4	2217^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.2%	340	35.6	52.2		44.5	41.7	41.4	56.9	54.4	71.0	73.5		56.9	43.6	27.1	28.8	52.2	37.7	68.1		42.7	96.3	96.3	$28,112	$27,214	$898

Cities Near Solvang

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Santa Ynez	1.95 mi	4	256^th
Los Olivos	2.3 mi	2	111^th
Buellton	4.31 mi	3	186^th
Gaviota	10.72 mi	1
Los Alamos	11.86 mi	1	630^th

See the top CA California cities

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.