Best Public Schools in Solvang, CA

Solvang has four schools—two elementary schools and two high schools—serving students from kindergarten through grade 12, though individual schools cover different grade spans. The 2025–26 results show a strong contrast in chronic absenteeism: it was 3% at Ballard Elementary and 10% at Solvang Elementary, versus 73% at Refugio High. The clearest achievement standout is Ballard, which led the other schools with reported results in all three tested subjects.

Ballard’s 2025–26 proficiency was 75% in ELA, 69% in math and 60% in science; its lead over the next-highest reporting school was 19 points in ELA, 34 in math and 16 in science. Santa Ynez Valley Union High was lowest in math, at 31%, while Solvang Elementary was lowest in ELA and science, at 51% and 39%. In shared elementary grades 3–5, Ballard also led Solvang in every reported ELA and math comparison. Refugio’s school-level test results are state-suppressed, so it cannot be placed in these achievement comparisons. Absenteeism was also high at Refugio compared with the state’s 18% rate; Santa Ynez Valley Union High was at 19%.

Across the three schools with reported results, the average advantage over the state narrowed from 2024–25 to 2025–26 in ELA, from 16 points to 12, and in math, from 12 to 6; the science advantage stayed near 12 points. Ballard remained the strongest SchoolDigger-ranked school among those with recent histories, at the 87th percentile in 2025–26, compared with the 68th for Santa Ynez Valley Union High and the 49th for Solvang Elementary. Context differs, too: in 2024–25, Ballard had a 16.1 student-teacher ratio and 11% free/reduced lunch eligible, while Solvang had a 19.3 ratio and 38% free/reduced lunch eligible; Santa Ynez Valley Union High also had a 19.3 ratio and 27% free/reduced lunch eligible. These are observations, not explanations for differences in results.