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Monroe Elementary

Q: Is Monroe Elementary a good school?

Monroe Elementary ranks 2766 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2766^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of California elementary schools

Summary

Monroe Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 315 students in the Santa Barbara Unified district, notable for its remarkable journey of improvement from a low-ranking to a consistently average-performing school despite serving a community with significant economic need.

The school's story is one of impressive growth, having risen from the bottom quartile of state schools to solidly middle-of-the-pack performance over the past several years. This "Monroe Transformation" is particularly meaningful because the school achieves these results while serving a student population where about 70% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Monroe outperforms other local schools with similar student demographics, such as McKinley Elementary and Santa Barbara Community Academy, especially in science, where its scores exceed both district and state averages. The school has also made huge strides in improving student attendance, cutting chronic absenteeism by nearly half since 2022.

When compared to schools in the immediate area, a clear contrast emerges. For instance, Washington Elementary, located less than a mile away, serves a less economically disadvantaged population and has higher test scores. However, Monroe's ability to deliver stronger academic outcomes than schools with similar challenges suggests it has developed effective support systems. The school's higher per-student funding compared to others in Santa Barbara Unified appears to be a factor in this success, showing that additional resources, when used well, can make a real difference for students in need.

315

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,172

Per pupil spending ?

69.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

431 Flora Vista Dr.
Santa Barbara, CA 93109-1101

(805) 966-7023

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Students who attend Monroe Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	La Cumbre Junior High
High:	San Marcos Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.0%

White:

20.0%

Two or more races:

10.5%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 67th percentile in 2022 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 67th-percentile peak (2022) to 53rd (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg44%

California avg41%

2,766^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 10Elementary 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	47.0	2766 of 5857	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	2772 of 5869	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.0	2049 of 5859	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.6	1914 of 5883	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	22.9	4555 of 5789	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	4490 of 5662	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.4	4479 of 5692	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.5	3447 of 5614	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.5	3289 of 5611	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	28.1	4194 of 5530	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	34.8	1543 of 2585	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	25.5	2833 of 3275	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	2565 of 3246	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	2923 of 5597	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.6	3831 of 5612	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.2	2118 of 5609	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.8	1829 of 5635	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.2	4211 of 5492	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	4391 of 5413	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.2	2482 of 5107	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.3	2451 of 5107	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.6	1565 of 5087	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.1	1570 of 5084	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	20.8	4317 of 4963	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.5	4401 of 4830	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	3033 of 5460	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	2638 of 5517	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	1560 of 5363	70.9%	★★★★☆
2022	71.2	1118 of 5264	78.8%	★★★★☆
2019	20.0	4566 of 5173	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	4596 of 5084	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.6	2405 of 5628	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	1994 of 5643	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.0	1900 of 5638	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.2	1950 of 5663	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.1	4277 of 5510	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	3981 of 5431	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.9	1018 of 2598	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	1370 of 2651	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	63.3	1006 of 2661	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.6	572 of 2726	79.0%	★★★★☆
2019	54.4	1403 of 2834	50.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2025)61st percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)57th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)51st percentile~ school

Female (2025)48th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2019)40th percentile+19 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)13th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy43%-6 vs state

Science41%+8 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, January 28, 2017

Excellent teachers, families and principal! Close Quote

Schools Near Monroe Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Monroe Elementary	Public	K-6	431 Flora Vista Dr.	Santa Barbara	93109	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 966-7023	315	19	16.2	69.2%	63 (20.0%)	3 (1.0%)	211 (67.0%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.5%)	47	2766^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.8%		46.4	2772^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	52.8%	6									40.5	40.5	45.5	34.2	46.0	46.7	43.1	34.1	34.2	40.5	33.3	35.3							$19,172	$2,435	$16,737
Washington Elementary	Public	K-6	290 Lighthouse Rd.	Santa Barbara	93109	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 965-6653	477	29	16.4	41.1%	231 (48.4%)	1 (0.2%)	165 (34.6%)	11 (2.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	66 (13.8%)	75.6	1348^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.0%		77.5	1268^th of 5869 public elementary schools	78.4%	80									40.6	40.6	52.7	82.0	55.1	61.5	62.1	63.0	75.4	41.2	48.7	56.4	97.4		97.4				$16,295	$1,350	$14,945
Harding University Partnership	Public	K-6	1625 Robbins St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 965-8994	364	21	16.9	78.0%	61 (16.8%)	2 (0.5%)	279 (76.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.0%)	54.6	2331^st of 5857 public elementary schools	60.2%		43.7	2943^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	49.9%	612									24.6	24.6	64.3	57.1	41.9	38.3	48.9	67.4	40.5	33.9	42.9	44.9							$17,680	$1,657	$16,023
Santa Barbara Community Academy	Public	K-6	850 Portesuello Ave.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 687-2081	221	13	17.5	82.4%	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	210 (95.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.2%)	28	4128^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.5%		28.1	4107^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.0%	21									23.9	23.9	36.7	37.9	33.3	21.4	32.6	33.3	27.6	19.6	23.3	25.2							$17,079	$1,231	$15,848
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	350 Loma Alta Dr.	Santa Barbara	93109	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 966-9926	293	17	17.0	80.9%	20 (6.8%)	1 (0.3%)	261 (89.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.8%)	19.3	4893^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	16.5%		17.2	5099^th of 5869 public elementary schools	13.1%	206	5.6	5.6	30.6	30.6	5.6	5.6	0.0	0.0	9.4	9.4	14.7	21.2	9.4	40.7	20.6	8.3	18.2	12.5	51.9	21.1							$16,242	$1,341	$14,901
Adams Elementary	Public	K-6	2701 Las Positas Rd.	Santa Barbara	93105	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 563-2515	469	28	16.6	64.4%	97 (20.7%)	2 (0.4%)	331 (70.6%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.2%)	60.3	2056^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.9%		58.5	2123^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	63.8%	67									40.9	40.9	46.6	54.6	51.5	53.9	51.9	56.9	41.8	36.4	35.9	42.0							$15,047	$1,808	$13,239
Roosevelt Elementary	Public	K-6	1990 Laguna St.	Santa Barbara	93101	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 563-2062	463	26	17.5	55.1%	175 (37.8%)	6 (1.3%)	224 (48.4%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (11.0%)	65	1839^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.6%		64.4	1859^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.3%	20									42.3	42.3	56.1	49.0	53.9	54.0	53.4	49.1	52.9	32.7	48.7	46.2	89.5	96.5		93.0	91.2	91.2	$15,971	$1,461	$14,510
Peabody Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	3018 Calle Noguera	Santa Barbara	93105	Santa Barbara County	Peabody Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 563-1172	780	35	22.2	42.7%	361 (46.3%)	2 (0.3%)	352 (45.1%)	15 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (6.4%)	88.6	738^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.4%		88.5	786^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.6%	48									57.7	57.7	69.1	70.7	71.2	74.8	71.4	64.6	59.8	64.9	64.5	63.5							$16,029	$1,430	$14,599
Hope Elementary	Public	K-6	3970-A La Colina Rd.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Hope Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 563-2974	279	16	17.4	42.3%	109 (39.1%)	2 (0.7%)	138 (49.5%)	8 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (7.5%)	82.3	1059^th of 5857 public elementary schools	81.9%		83.4	1022^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	82.6%	37									51.1	51.1	71.1	61.5	64.4	78.4	68.6	65.8	51.3	44.4	75.7	58.5	93.2				93.2		$22,377	$1,496	$20,881
Vieja Valley Elementary	Public	K-6	434 Nogal Dr.	Santa Barbara	93110	Santa Barbara County	Hope Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 967-1239	313	15	20.8	28.1%	173 (55.3%)	1 (0.3%)	112 (35.8%)	9 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.8%)	82.7	1037^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.3%		90.7	653^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	88.9%	384									60.5	60.5	52.6	67.6	65.1	85.4	67.9	46.0	59.5	55.8	85.4	62.0							$19,627	$1,086	$18,541

Frequently Asked Questions about Monroe Elementary

What schools do graduates of Monroe Elementary attend?

Students who attend Monroe Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : La Cumbre Junior High
High : San Marcos Senior High

What district is Monroe Elementary in?

Santa Barbara Unified

How many students attend Monroe Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 315 students attended Monroe Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Monroe Elementary?

Students at Monroe Elementary are 67% Hispanic, 20% White, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Monroe Elementary a good school?

Monroe Elementary ranks 2766^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Monroe Elementary!

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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.