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La Cumbre Junior High

Q: Is La Cumbre Junior High a good school?

La Cumbre Junior High ranks 1300 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1300^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 53% of California middle schools

Summary

La Cumbre Junior High is a public middle school serving about 426 students in grades 7 and 8 within the Santa Barbara Unified School District, currently rated in the middle tier of California schools.

The school serves a community with significant economic need, and while its overall academic performance is below the district average, it shows strong and recent signs of improvement, with test scores in English, math, and science rising notably over the past year. Interestingly, the school demonstrates particular effectiveness in supporting specific student groups, with Hispanic students, English Learners, and students in Special Education all performing well above the school's overall ranking. However, a challenge the school faces is chronic absenteeism, with a rate higher than both the district and state averages.

When compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as higher-performing La Colina Junior High and Goleta Valley Junior High, La Cumbre's academic results are lower, but it performs similarly to Carpinteria Middle and outperforms Santa Barbara Junior High, which serves a student population with similar economic demographics. This suggests the school is on a positive trajectory of recovery and is leveraging its resources to make meaningful gains for its students.

426

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,504

Per pupil spending ?

84.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2255 Modoc Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3935

(805) 687-0761

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Students who attend La Cumbre Junior High usually attend:

High:

San Marcos Senior High

Feeder schools for La Cumbre Junior High:

Elementary:	Adams Elementary
	Harding University Partnership
	McKinley Elementary
	Monroe Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.9%

White:

8.0%

Two or more races:

1.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare La Cumbre Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 39th percentile in 2023 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2025) from a 39th-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Near the bottom of Santa Barbara Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg44%

California avg41%

1,300^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 38% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	45.9	1300 of 2761	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.1	1702 of 2783	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	1702 of 2781	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	1641 of 2740	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	1162 of 2715	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.4	935 of 2480	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.7	921 of 2508	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	48.2	1154 of 2497	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.1	951 of 2477	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.5	948 of 2379	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	52.7	512 of 1531	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	574 of 1491	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	503 of 1369	63.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.3	509 of 1478	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.4	794 of 1521	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.0	688 of 1540	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.2	643 of 1442	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.4	605 of 1364	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.0	1201 of 2533	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.8	1485 of 2551	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.1	1384 of 2531	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	1475 of 2509	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.4	1052 of 2380	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	900 of 2262	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	898 of 2395	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.9	1308 of 2388	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.9	1368 of 2374	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	1431 of 2359	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.8	789 of 2213	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.0	601 of 2072	71.0%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	55.2	130 of 394	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.8	82 of 320	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.2	66 of 336	80.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	955 of 2542	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.6	1391 of 2579	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	1372 of 2531	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.4	1425 of 2458	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.5	694 of 2369	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	64.9	590 of 2230	73.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	1240 of 2534	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.9	1647 of 2552	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.8	1743 of 2538	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	1560 of 2527	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.7	1114 of 2407	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	880 of 2273	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	98 of 194	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.7	155 of 192	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.8	114 of 193	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	324 of 1566	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	32.1	1024 of 1552	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	808 of 1531	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.0	291 of 1520	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.3	308 of 1543	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	166 of 1555	89.3%	★★★★☆
2019	85.4	157 of 1602	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	91.2	49 of 1496	96.7%	★★★★★

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)

White (2025)81st percentile+28 vs school

Special Education (2025)79th percentile+26 vs school

Homeless (2024)67th percentile+28 vs school

Disabled (2022)67th percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)66th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2025)63rd percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)51st percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)49th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

Science25%-8 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, July 28, 2016

My son in is in the CORE knowledge program at La Cumbre and we could not be happier. He arrived mid-year and if you remember your middle school years, it is tough to be the new kid let alone during the middle of a year when friendships have been forged. Other kids welcomed him, teachers accommodated him getting him up to speed with current unit studies, office staff worked with us and his schedule, adjusting classes as we became accustomed to US schooling standards (we had been outside of the US for the former school year). Ongoing feedback from teachers, unsolicited and when asked. My son loves his school and thinks fondly of his classmates, that is a win-win when you are in middle school. Close Quote

Schools Near La Cumbre 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 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
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
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 Cumbre Junior High

What high school do graduates of La Cumbre Junior High attend?

Students who attend La Cumbre Junior High usually go on to attend San Marcos Senior High

How many students attend La Cumbre Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 426 students attended La Cumbre Junior High.

What is the racial makeup of La Cumbre Junior High?

Students at La Cumbre Junior High are 90% Hispanic, 8% White, 1% Two or more races.

Is La Cumbre Junior High a good school?

La Cumbre Junior High ranks 1300^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is La Cumbre Junior High in?

Santa Barbara Unified

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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.