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Washington Elementary

Q: Is Washington Elementary a good school?

Washington Elementary ranks 1348 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1348^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of California elementary schools

Summary

Washington Elementary is a well-regarded K-6 public school serving 477 students in the Santa Barbara Unified district, consistently earning high ratings and outperforming most neighboring schools in core academic subjects.

The school stands out for its strong academic results, with student proficiency in English and math significantly above both district and state averages. It also maintains an exceptionally low rate of chronic student absenteeism, which is less than half that of nearby schools like Cleveland Elementary and Franklin Elementary. While it serves a student population with fewer economic challenges than many surrounding schools, Washington Elementary achieves these results with moderate per-student spending, indicating efficient use of resources.

Notable patterns include exceptional fourth-grade performance and a post-pandemic recovery that appears stronger than many peers. However, the school faces areas for attention, such as a performance dip in fifth grade and ensuring consistent outcomes across all student groups. Compared to its closest neighbor, Monroe Elementary, Washington's significantly higher ranking suggests school-specific factors like leadership and teaching quality are key drivers of its success.

477

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,374

Per pupil spending ?

41.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

290 Lighthouse Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93109-1905

(805) 965-6653

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Students who attend Washington Elementary usually attend:

High:

Santa Barbara Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.4%

Hispanic:

34.6%

Two or more races:

13.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Washington Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 87th percentile in 2013 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (57% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Santa Barbara Unified

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg44%

California avg41%

1,348^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	75.6	1348 of 5857	77.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.5	1268 of 5869	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	71.8	1499 of 5859	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	75.3	1390 of 5883	76.4%	★★★★☆
2019	89.0	705 of 5789	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	90.2	629 of 5662	88.9%	★★★★☆
2017	89.4	670 of 5692	88.2%	★★★★☆
2016	89.9	620 of 5614	89.0%	★★★★☆
2015	91.7	529 of 5611	90.6%	★★★★★
2013	85.5	727 of 5530	86.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	53.9	870 of 2585	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.1	382 of 2128	82.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	32.0	2446 of 3311	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.3	915 of 3275	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	63.1	750 of 3246	76.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.4	1532 of 5597	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	1421 of 5612	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	69.1	1543 of 5609	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	76.9	1250 of 5635	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	88.4	647 of 5492	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	86.5	739 of 5413	86.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	2307 of 5107	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	1931 of 5107	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.3	2541 of 5087	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.2	2382 of 5084	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.7	1027 of 4963	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	635 of 4830	86.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	2151 of 5460	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.5	1039 of 5517	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	56.2	1973 of 5363	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.9	1521 of 5264	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	74.1	971 of 5173	81.2%	★★★★☆
2018	82.2	590 of 5084	88.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.5	1094 of 5628	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.2	1038 of 5643	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	1489 of 5638	73.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.8	1535 of 5663	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	87.4	717 of 5510	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	90.8	524 of 5431	90.4%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	46.5	76 of 140	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.2	96 of 130	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.2	687 of 2598	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.0	545 of 2651	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	767 of 2661	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	74.7	634 of 2726	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	90.1	97 of 2834	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	88.0	150 of 2737	94.5%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)81st percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)74th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)73rd percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2019)66th percentile-21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile-22 vs school

Military Connected (2023)46th percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)26th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state

Mathematics56%+19 vs state

Science41%+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

We love Washington! Arriving in the middle of a school year can be daunting for a child. Everyone from the office staff, students and especially teachers made my son feel welcommed and an integral part of his 5th grade class despite only being with his peers for 3.5 months of the year. Teachers care! At the end of the school year we were blown away at the individualized culmination of the class with Mr. N specifically calling up each child and speaking indepth about how each student made a personal valued contribution to the classroom experience. Could not be happier with our experience and based on our limited time at the school have nothing but accolades to share. Good luck with your child's elementary school experience in SB! Close Quote

Schools Near Washington Elementary

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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 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 (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 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th 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
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				$21,374	$20,344	$1,030
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							$24,765	$22,618	$2,147
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							$24,765	$22,618	$2,147
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							$20,270	$19,512	$758
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							$24,598	$23,832	$766
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							$17,680	$15,960	$1,720
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	$18,356	$17,554	$802
Adelante Charter	Public, Charter	K-6	1102 East Yanonali St.	Santa Barbara	93103	Santa Barbara County	Adelante Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 966-7392	306	17	18.4	71.6%	40 (13.1%)	1 (0.3%)	252 (82.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	66.6	1757^th of 5857 public elementary schools	70.0%		47.4	2710^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.8%	953	14.6	12.8	5.4	2.5	9.2	50.0	28.2	13.5	12.5	27.4	25.0	23.1	5.4	5.0	15.2	8.3	16.2	2.7	0.0	6.8	27.0	27.0	58.3	46.2	56.8	47.5	52.4	52.1	84.2	46.0	50.0	57.7
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
Franklin Elementary	Public	K-6	1111 East Mason St.	Santa Barbara	93103	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 963-4283	424	25	17.0	91.0%	19 (4.5%)	4 (0.9%)	375 (88.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.7%)	60.6	2034^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.3%		67	1727^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.6%	307																					20.6	20.6	54.9	42.1	41.2	64.2	50.6	68.6	47.4	38.2	55.2	51.4							$21,929	$21,100	$829

Frequently Asked Questions about Washington Elementary

How many students attend Washington Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 477 students attended Washington Elementary.

Is Washington Elementary a good school?

Washington Elementary ranks 1348^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Washington Elementary?

Students at Washington Elementary are 48% White, 35% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Washington Elementary attend?

Students who attend Washington Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Santa Barbara Senior High

What district is Washington Elementary 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.