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La Cuesta Continuation High

Q: Is La Cuesta Continuation High a good school?

La Cuesta Continuation High ranks in the bottom 1.2% of California high schools.

Q: How many students attend La Cuesta Continuation High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 77 students attended La Cuesta Continuation High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of La Cuesta Continuation High?

Students at La Cuesta Continuation High are 95% Hispanic, 4% White, 1% Two or more races.

Public Grades 9-12

2137^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 1% of California high schools

Summary

La Cuesta Continuation High is a small, alternative public high school serving about 77 students in grades 9-12 within the Santa Barbara Unified district, designed for students who have struggled in traditional school settings.

The school operates with significant resources, including a very low student-to-teacher ratio and the highest per-student spending in the area, but faces profound challenges. Academic proficiency rates are extremely low, and chronic absenteeism affects nearly all students, which makes improving core academics very difficult. Graduation and dropout rates have been highly volatile from year to year, which is partly due to the small size of the school where a few students can drastically change the percentages.

When compared to other schools, the situation is complex. Traditional district high schools like Dos Pueblos Senior High and San Marcos Senior High have strong outcomes, highlighting that La Cuesta serves a uniquely at-risk population. Interestingly, another alternative school in the district, Alta Vista Alternative High, reports better attendance and graduation rates, suggesting different educational models for similar students can yield different results. This indicates La Cuesta's role is critical as a safety net, but its approach to engaging students and improving attendance may need re-evaluation to better support its vulnerable population.

Students ?

8.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$78,215

Per pupil spending ?

89.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

710 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2232

(805) 966-0883

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.8%

White:

3.9%

Two or more races:

1.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare La Cuesta Continuation High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2013 → 1st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (2% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (57% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school2%

District avg44%

California avg41%

2,137^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High 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	7.4	2137 of 2162	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	2092 of 2159	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	2117 of 2170	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	1865 of 2123	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	1957 of 2133	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	1872 of 2017	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.8	1715 of 2021	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	11.2	1786 of 2039	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.6	1716 of 1994	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.9	1838 of 2426	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.9	1002 of 1044	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.7	1891 of 1906	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.7	1541 of 1858	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.1	1629 of 1833	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.3	1706 of 1760	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.7	1897 of 1900	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	1827 of 1902	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	1872 of 1917	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	1716 of 1861	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	1699 of 1814	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	1737 of 1742	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	1988 of 2013	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	1947 of 2026	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.8	1978 of 2030	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	1671 of 1943	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	1827 of 1937	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	1774 of 1862	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	12.4	1727 of 1948	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.5	1915 of 1916	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	1795 of 1880	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	1638 of 1834	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2024)11th percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)4th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy4%-45 vs state

Mathematics0%-37 vs state

Science0%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near La Cuesta Continuation High

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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 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)			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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	77	9	8.4	89.6%	3 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (94.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	7.4	2137^th of 2162 public high schools	1.2%		9.7	2092^nd of 2159 public high schools	3.1%	45		0.0		0.0		4.0	4.0		0.0	0.0	$78,215	$76,436	$1,779
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	119	9	12.6	59.7%	35 (29.4%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (58.8%)	6 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.4%)	25.7	1576^th of 2162 public high schools	27.1%		54.1	905^th of 2159 public high schools	58.1%	671		22.2		30.0		26.1	26.1		9.1	9.1	$21,342	$20,804	$538
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	1,924	99	19.4	61.7%	578 (30.0%)	11 (0.6%)	1,201 (62.4%)	32 (1.7%)	9 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	87 (4.5%)	42.7	1195^th of 2162 public high schools	44.7%		39.8	1239^th of 2159 public high schools	42.6%	44		25.2	9.5	23.8		44.9	44.9		18.7	18.7	$23,604	$22,678	$926
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 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	27	4	6.7	88.9%	1 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	0.0			0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0		0.0	$69,428	$69,428	$00
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	31	3	10.2	90.3%	2 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (90.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.2%)								(n/a)							0.0			0.0	$63,122	$55,166	$7,956
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	1,926	91	21.1	58.0%	616 (32.0%)	9 (0.5%)	1,165 (60.5%)	47 (2.4%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	84 (4.4%)	72.2	559^th of 2162 public high schools	74.1%		64.8	655^th of 2159 public high schools	69.7%	96		46.5	13.0	44.9		55.9	55.9		34.9	34.9	$21,272	$20,128	$1,144
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	593	33	18.2	65.3%	121 (20.4%)	2 (0.3%)	448 (75.5%)	12 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.3%)	57.1	890^th of 2162 public high schools	58.8%		43.8	1153^rd of 2159 public high schools	46.6%	263		29.6		29.6		50.0	50.0		30.8	30.8	$24,317	$23,636	$681
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	2,149	95	22.6	43.9%	895 (41.6%)	24 (1.1%)	908 (42.3%)	132 (6.1%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	181 (8.4%)	83.6	344^th of 2162 public high schools	84.1%		86.8	283^rd of 2159 public high schools	86.9%	61		46.6		46.0		68.6	68.6		45.7	45.7	$20,647	$19,878	$769

Frequently Asked Questions about La Cuesta Continuation High

Is La Cuesta Continuation High a good school?

La Cuesta Continuation High ranks in the bottom 1.2% of California high schools.

What is the racial makeup of La Cuesta Continuation High?

Students at La Cuesta Continuation High are 95% Hispanic, 4% White, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend La Cuesta Continuation High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 77 students attended La Cuesta Continuation High.

What district is La Cuesta Continuation High in?

Santa Barbara Unified

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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.