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Alta Vista Alternative High

Q: Is Alta Vista Alternative High a good school?

Alta Vista Alternative High ranks 1576 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Virtual Grades 9-12

1576^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 27% of California high schools

Summary

Alta Vista Alternative High is a public virtual high school located in Santa Barbara, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 134 students. It is part of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, which is ranked 665 out of 1,543 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Alta Vista Alternative High consistently underperforms compared to the Santa Barbara Unified School District and the state of California in standardized test scores across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 26.09% of students at Alta Vista were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 51.88% for the district and 48.81% for the state. In Mathematics, only 9.09% of students were proficient or better, compared to 41.49% for the district and 37.3% for the state. The school's performance in Science, as measured by the CAST exam, is also significantly lower than the district and state averages. Additionally, Alta Vista Alternative High has had a four-year graduation rate ranging from 83.1% to 92.2% over the past few years, which is generally lower than the surrounding Dos Pueblos Senior High, San Marcos Senior High, and Santa Barbara Senior High.

The high rates of chronic absenteeism at Alta Vista Alternative High, ranging from 18.6% to 73.5% in recent years, are particularly alarming, as chronic absenteeism is strongly correlated with lower academic achievement and increased dropout rates. The school also serves a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students, with 60.45% to 68.25% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years, compared to 45.93% to 60.36% at the nearby traditional high schools. These factors may contribute to the school's academic challenges and highlight the importance of providing additional resources and support to ensure all students have equal opportunities for success.

119

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,761

Per pupil spending ?

59.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

215 East Ortega St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-1661

(805) 966-0883

District: Santa Barbara Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.8%

White:

29.4%

Asian:

5.0%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 82nd percentile in 2013 → 27th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (22% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Dropout rate above the California average (12% vs 8%)

!High chronic absenteeism (79% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg44%

California avg41%

1,576^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^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	25.7	1576 of 2162	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.1	905 of 2159	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	1168 of 2170	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.6	747 of 2123	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.6	842 of 2133	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	796 of 2017	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.6	1188 of 2021	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	53.5	934 of 2039	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	33.7	1288 of 1994	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	64.1	444 of 2426	81.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.0	1573 of 1906	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.8	1145 of 1915	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.2	711 of 1833	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	1036 of 1760	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	1709 of 1900	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	1845 of 1902	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	40.8	1076 of 1814	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.4	1272 of 1742	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	1788 of 2013	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	1467 of 2026	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.6	1342 of 1943	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.2	679 of 1937	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	707 of 1862	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	74.7	462 of 1834	74.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	51.2	602 of 1222	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	533 of 1173	54.6%	★★★☆☆

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 (2018)75th percentile+14 vs school

White (2019)51st percentile-10 vs school

Female (2025)17th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science30%-3 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-23 vs state

Mathematics9%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Alta Vista Alternative High

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 (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	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
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	$30,761	$2,918	$27,843
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	$32,347	$3,484	$28,863
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	$17,623	$1,328	$16,295
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	$68,373	$00	$68,373
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	$71,949	$6,011	$65,938
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	$17,621	$1,569	$16,052
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	$21,524	$813	$20,711
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	$16,974	$1,290	$15,684

Frequently Asked Questions about Alta Vista Alternative High

What district is Alta Vista Alternative High in?

Santa Barbara Unified

What is the racial makeup of Alta Vista Alternative High?

Students at Alta Vista Alternative High are 59% Hispanic, 29% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 3% Not Specified.

Is Alta Vista Alternative High a good school?

Alta Vista Alternative High ranks 1576^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Alta Vista Alternative High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 119 students attended Alta Vista Alternative High.

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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.