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McKinley Elementary

Public Grades K-6

4893^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of California elementary schools

Summary

McKinley Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 293 students in the Santa Barbara Unified district, located in a community where a high percentage of families qualify for economic assistance.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with student proficiency in English, math, and science consistently far below both district and state averages; for example, only about 21% of students met standards in English and math in 2024-2025, compared to over 62% at nearby Washington Elementary. This performance gap persists even when compared to schools with similar student demographics, such as Franklin Elementary, which achieves much higher scores. The school has shown a notable strength in supporting its English Language Learner students, who perform at the state average, and has made impressive recent progress in reducing chronic student absences.

The analysis suggests that factors beyond funding and class size are influencing outcomes, as some higher-performing nearby schools operate with similar resources. Performance also varies widely between grade levels at McKinley, with sixth graders scoring significantly higher than fifth graders, indicating inconsistency. For parents, this means that while the school serves a high-need community and has effective programs for certain groups, its overall academic results have remained low for many years compared to other options in the area, including charter schools like Peabody Charter and Adelante Charter.

293

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,242

Per pupil spending ?

80.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

350 Loma Alta Dr.
Santa Barbara, CA 93109-2359

(805) 966-9926

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Students who attend McKinley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	La Cumbre Junior High
High:	Santa Barbara Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.1%

White:

6.8%

Two or more races:

3.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2013 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (17% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 28 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg44%

California avg41%

4,893^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^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	19.3	4893 of 5857	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	5099 of 5869	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	4846 of 5859	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	4480 of 5883	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	5386 of 5789	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	5424 of 5662	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.9	5200 of 5692	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	15.8	4974 of 5614	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.6	4165 of 5611	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.8	4413 of 5530	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	18.1	2441 of 2585	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	43.7	1572 of 3162	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.3	2058 of 3245	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.9	2885 of 3311	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	3139 of 3275	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	3072 of 3246	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	4510 of 5597	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	4738 of 5612	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	4320 of 5609	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	4158 of 5635	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	5058 of 5492	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	5169 of 5413	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.9	4330 of 5107	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	4295 of 5107	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	3896 of 5087	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.1	3518 of 5084	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.7	4574 of 4963	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	4609 of 4830	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	4722 of 5460	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	4478 of 5517	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	4261 of 5363	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	3368 of 5264	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.6	4755 of 5173	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	4758 of 5084	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	4638 of 5628	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	4624 of 5643	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	4917 of 5638	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	4183 of 5663	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	5248 of 5510	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	5252 of 5431	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)50th percentile+37 vs school

Female (2025)19th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)18th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2019)6th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Listening31%+5 vs state

Mathematics21%-16 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy21%-28 vs state

Science9%-23 vs state

Overall6%-4 vs state

Writing6%-11 vs state

Reading0%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near McKinley 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 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
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
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
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
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
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							$17,329	$939	$16,390
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
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							$17,523	$1,309	$16,214
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
Cleveland Elementary	Public	K-6	123 Alameda Padre Serra	Santa Barbara	93103	Santa Barbara County	Santa Barbara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 963-8873	254	18	14.0	80.7%	7 (2.8%)	3 (1.2%)	232 (91.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.3%)	33.6	3674^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.3%		31.5	3811^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.1%	137																					10.8	10.8	36.8	33.3	13.9	58.3	35.8	40.0	33.3	10.8	35.1	29.7	92.9						$20,466	$2,900	$17,566
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

Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley Elementary

How many students attend McKinley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 293 students attended McKinley Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of McKinley Elementary?

Students at McKinley Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 7% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is McKinley Elementary in?

Santa Barbara Unified

Is McKinley Elementary a good school?

McKinley Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.5% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of McKinley Elementary attend?

Students who attend McKinley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : La Cumbre Junior High
High : Santa Barbara Senior High

Rate McKinley 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.