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

La Colina Junior High

Q: Is La Colina Junior High a good school?

La Colina Junior High ranks 309 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

309^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 89% of California middle schools

Summary

La Colina Junior High is a highly-regarded public middle school serving 832 students in grades 7-8 in Santa Barbara, part of the Santa Barbara Unified district, and it consistently ranks among the top schools in the state for academic performance.

The school stands out for its strong academic results, with proficiency rates in English, math, and science that are significantly higher than both the district and state averages. It also maintains a lower rate of chronic student absenteeism compared to nearby schools like Santa Barbara Junior High and La Cumbre Junior High. A particularly interesting finding is the remarkable academic success of students experiencing homelessness at La Colina, suggesting the school has effective support systems in place for vulnerable students.

While La Colina serves a diverse student population and achieves these results with efficient spending per student, there are notable performance gaps within the same district, highlighting different outcomes at neighboring junior highs. It's important for parents to know that the school has shown a consistent decade-long record of excellence, though science scores, while still strong, present a relative area for growth compared to other subjects. Compared to schools like Carpinteria Middle in the Carpinteria Unified district, La Colina achieves stronger academic outcomes with similar or lower spending.

832

Students ?

19.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,429

Per pupil spending ?

41.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4025 Foothill Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93110-1298

(805) 967-4506

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Feeder schools for La Colina Junior High:

Elementary:	El Camino Elementary
	Foothill Elementary
	Hope Elementary
	Monte Vista Elementary
	More...
	Mountain View Elementary
	Vieja Valley Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.0%

Hispanic:

40.0%

Two or more races:

6.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare La Colina Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 79th percentile in 2013 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (62% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg44%

California avg41%

309^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	88.3	309 of 2761	88.8%	★★★★☆
2024	87.7	329 of 2783	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	88.2	318 of 2781	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	81.6	443 of 2740	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	87.5	319 of 2715	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	87.5	299 of 2480	87.9%	★★★★☆
2017	90.0	239 of 2508	90.5%	★★★★★
2016	87.5	285 of 2497	88.6%	★★★★☆
2015	86.2	308 of 2477	87.6%	★★★★☆
2013	73.5	499 of 2379	79.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	85.6	38 of 743	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	82.9	66 of 715	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	67.1	272 of 733	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.3	411 of 745	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.7	308 of 700	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	53.2	504 of 1531	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.5	417 of 1491	72.0%	★★★★☆
2018	51.4	471 of 1369	65.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	75.2	139 of 1521	90.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.4	239 of 2533	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	88.7	276 of 2551	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	87.8	286 of 2531	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	82.4	386 of 2509	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	87.9	273 of 2380	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	86.9	280 of 2262	87.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	351 of 2395	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	75.4	412 of 2388	82.7%	★★★★☆
2023	74.8	403 of 2374	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	55.5	840 of 2359	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.1	435 of 2213	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	69.8	454 of 2072	78.1%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	91.3	16 of 394	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	85.1	27 of 320	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	74.3	58 of 336	82.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	356 of 2542	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	68.8	555 of 2579	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	73.4	449 of 2531	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	61.8	696 of 2458	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	573 of 2369	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	74.5	390 of 2230	82.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.7	374 of 2534	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	84.5	350 of 2552	86.3%	★★★★☆
2023	86.7	317 of 2538	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	460 of 2527	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	85.6	328 of 2407	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	86.7	288 of 2273	87.3%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	164 of 194	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	64.6	69 of 192	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.3	112 of 197	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	127 of 193	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.9	136 of 726	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	67.5	229 of 701	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.0	129 of 677	80.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.7	118 of 665	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.9	117 of 554	78.9%	★★★★☆
2018	79.8	75 of 462	83.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	276 of 1566	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	46.1	639 of 1552	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.4	294 of 1531	80.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	129 of 1520	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	87.4	118 of 1537	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.5	65 of 1543	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	84.2	158 of 1555	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	89.2	98 of 1602	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.9	53 of 1496	96.5%	★★★★★

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)

Homeless (2024)96th percentile+8 vs school

Asian (2024)95th percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)92nd percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)91st percentile~ school

Female (2025)91st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)85th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)85th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)82nd percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)81st percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)67th percentile-17 vs school

Military Connected (2025)15th percentile-73 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+20 vs state

Mathematics61%+24 vs state

Science48%+16 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate La Colina Junior High and help other families decide.

Rate La Colina 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 La Colina Junior High

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 (2024)
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
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	$16,429	$1,377	$15,052
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	$18,504	$1,397	$17,107
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)																							$16,405	$1,155	$15,250
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	$19,046	$1,527	$17,519
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	$16,295	$1,202	$15,093
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	$23,405	$2,658	$20,747

Frequently Asked Questions about La Colina Junior High

How many students attend La Colina Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 832 students attended La Colina Junior High.

What is the racial makeup of La Colina Junior High?

Students at La Colina Junior High are 49% White, 40% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is La Colina Junior High in?

Santa Barbara Unified

Is La Colina Junior High a good school?

La Colina Junior High ranks 309^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate La Colina Junior High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Santa Barbara, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for La Colina Junior High!

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.