Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Goleta Valley Junior High

Q: Is Goleta Valley Junior High a good school?

Goleta Valley Junior High ranks 637 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

637^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 77% of California middle schools

Summary

Goleta Valley Junior High is a well-regarded public middle school serving about 730 students in grades 7 and 8 within the Santa Barbara Unified School District, consistently earning high marks for its academic performance and student attendance.

The school stands out for its strong and steady academic results, ranking in the top quarter of all California middle schools and outperforming both district and state averages in English, Math, and Science. It achieves this while often spending less per student than some neighboring schools. A key strength is its low rate of chronic absenteeism at 16%, which is better than the district average and significantly better than nearby schools like Santa Barbara Junior High (28.1%) and La Cumbre Junior High (23.3%). While the excellent La Colina Junior High ranks higher, Goleta Valley serves a more economically diverse population and delivers impressive value.

Parents should note that the school faces some challenges in ensuring all student groups thrive equally. Performance has declined recently for students from low-income families and for English Language Learners. Additionally, 8th graders' test scores are notably lower than 7th graders', which may point to curriculum or transition issues. Despite these areas for growth, Goleta Valley Junior High remains a consistently high-performing school that effectively supports its diverse student body.

731

Students ?

19.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,891

Per pupil spending ?

45.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6100 Stow Canyon Rd.
Goleta, CA 93117-1705

(805) 967-3486

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Students who attend Goleta Valley Junior High usually attend:

High:

Dos Pueblos Senior High

Feeder schools for Goleta Valley Junior High:

Elementary:	Brandon Elementary
	Kellogg Elementary
	La Patera Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.7%

White:

35.2%

Two or more races:

8.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Goleta Valley Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 74th percentile in 2013 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of California middle schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg44%

California avg41%

637^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

From top 26% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle Schools in the Santa Barbara Unified

665^th of 1,543Santa Barbara Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.1	637 of 2761	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.9	568 of 2783	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	487 of 2781	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	523 of 2740	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	79.7	492 of 2715	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	74.9	544 of 2480	78.1%	★★★★☆
2017	68.6	700 of 2508	72.1%	★★★★☆
2016	58.7	901 of 2497	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.6	649 of 2477	73.8%	★★★★☆
2013	69.3	618 of 2379	74.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.8	301 of 739	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	424 of 743	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.5	359 of 715	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.2	251 of 733	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.5	377 of 745	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.3	419 of 700	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	60.7	394 of 1531	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	57.1	439 of 1491	70.6%	★★★★☆
2018	47.4	534 of 1369	61.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.2	999 of 1478	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	495 of 1521	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.6	668 of 1540	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.4	1043 of 1442	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.5	623 of 1364	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	613 of 2533	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	472 of 2551	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.0	489 of 2531	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	72.9	562 of 2509	77.6%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	467 of 2380	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	69.4	613 of 2262	72.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.6	1156 of 2395	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.4	1120 of 2388	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.4	778 of 2374	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.3	639 of 2359	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	58.4	723 of 2213	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	739 of 2072	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	39.1	222 of 394	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	86.1	20 of 336	94.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	1413 of 2542	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.5	989 of 2579	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.4	690 of 2531	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	63.4	655 of 2458	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	55.0	878 of 2369	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.5	815 of 2230	63.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	618 of 2534	75.6%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	594 of 2552	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	441 of 2538	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	80.9	425 of 2527	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	79.6	429 of 2407	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.9	450 of 2273	80.2%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.5	103 of 194	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	123 of 192	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.3	88 of 197	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.2	118 of 193	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.9	137 of 726	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	80.8	108 of 701	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	77.6	133 of 677	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	85.8	57 of 665	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	81.5	74 of 554	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	84.1	47 of 462	89.8%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.3	445 of 1566	71.6%	★★★★☆
2024	48.2	608 of 1552	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.9	301 of 1531	80.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.9	228 of 1520	85.0%	★★★★☆
2024	86.8	124 of 1537	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	87.6	110 of 1543	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	81.7	216 of 1555	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.4	93 of 1602	94.2%	★★★★★
2018	84.1	171 of 1496	88.6%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)85th percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)81st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)76th percentile~ school

Male (2025)76th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)74th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)72nd percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)59th percentile-18 vs school

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile-25 vs school

Military Connected (2025)47th percentile-30 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile-33 vs school

Homeless (2024)44th percentile-36 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)32nd percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy55%+6 vs state

Mathematics49%+12 vs state

Science41%+9 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Goleta Valley Junior High and help other families decide.

Rate Goleta Valley Junior High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Goleta Valley Junior High

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)			CSA Spanish Listening (2025)			CSA Spanish Writing (2025)			CSA Spanish Reading (2025)			CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				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	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	731	38	19.2	45.6%	257 (35.2%)	7 (1.0%)	356 (48.7%)	49 (6.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (8.1%)	72.1	637^th of 2761 public middle schools	76.9%		75.9	568^th of 2783 public middle schools	79.6%	69													41.4	41.4		60.8	49.3	54.8		56.0	42.3	48.9	$20,891	$20,128	$763
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	832	42	19.8	41.5%	408 (49.0%)	2 (0.2%)	333 (40.0%)	27 (3.2%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (6.6%)	88.3	309^th of 2761 public middle schools	88.8%		87.7	329^th of 2783 public middle schools	88.2%	20													48.5	48.5		69.0	68.8	68.9		63.0	58.7	60.9	$20,246	$19,306	$940
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	426	24	17.5	84.5%	34 (8.0%)	1 (0.2%)	383 (89.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	45.9	1300^th of 2761 public middle schools	52.9%		33.1	1702^nd of 2783 public middle schools	38.8%	402													24.7	24.7		45.7	39.1	42.0		28.7	39.6	34.9	$27,690	$26,538	$1,152
Alta Vista	Public, Virtual	7-8	215 East Ortega St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(805) 966-0883	2	1	2.6		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (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	512	32	16.0	79.7%	65 (12.7%)	3 (0.6%)	425 (83.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.9%)	31.9	1758^th of 2761 public middle schools	36.3%		35.1	1623^rd of 2783 public middle schools	41.7%	135													24.8	24.8		27.9	33.8	30.8		27.6	25.8	26.7	$25,617	$24,280	$1,337
Carpinteria Middle	Public	6-8	5351 Carpinteria Ave.	Carpinteria	93013	Santa Barbara County	Carpinteria Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 684-4544	437	26	16.8	72.3%	81 (18.5%)	4 (0.9%)	341 (78.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	46.5	1284^th of 2761 public middle schools	53.5%		54.6	1028^th of 2783 public middle schools	63.1%	256	2.6	0.0	1.3	5.3	15.8	10.5	7.9	13.2	10.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	21.3	21.3	48.9	45.4	35.6	43.9	36.0	39.4	24.8	34.1	$24,869	$22,982	$1,887

Frequently Asked Questions about Goleta Valley Junior High

What district is Goleta Valley Junior High in?

Santa Barbara Unified

What high school do graduates of Goleta Valley Junior High attend?

Students who attend Goleta Valley Junior High usually go on to attend Dos Pueblos Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Goleta Valley Junior High?

Students at Goleta Valley Junior High are 49% Hispanic, 35% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

How many students attend Goleta Valley Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 731 students attended Goleta Valley Junior High.

Is Goleta Valley Junior High a good school?

Goleta Valley Junior High ranks 637^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Goleta Valley Junior High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Goleta, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Goleta Valley Junior High!

Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.