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Cold Spring Elementary

Public Grades K-6

3^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 100% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cold Spring Elementary is a top-ranked public K-6 school in Santa Barbara's Sycamore Canyon area, serving about 188 students as its own independent district.

The school's academic performance is exceptional, consistently ranking in the top tier of all California elementary schools, with over 95% of students proficient in English, math, and science. This success is supported by a low student-teacher ratio and a very high rate of daily student attendance. The school's per-student funding is notably higher than most others in the area, which helps support its programs and small class sizes. It effectively serves all its students, with high statewide rankings across different student groups.

When compared to nearby schools, a stark difference in outcomes is evident. Cold Spring and the similarly high-performing Montecito Union form a corridor of excellence, both benefiting from similar community support and resources as independent districts. In contrast, schools within the larger Santa Barbara Unified district, such as Santa Barbara Community Academy and McKinley Elementary, operate with significantly less funding per student and face greater challenges, resulting in much lower proficiency rates. This highlights how district boundaries and local investment create vastly different educational environments within the same city.

188

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

5.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2243 Sycamore Canyon Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93108-1909

(805) 969-2678

District: Cold Spring Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.3%

Two or more races:

12.8%

Hispanic:

5.3%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 97th percentile in 2015 → 100th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (96% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school96%

District avg96%

California avg41%

3^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 1,543Cold Spring Elementary 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	99.4	3 of 5857	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	99.7	1 of 5869	100.0%	★★★★★
2023	99.3	5 of 5859	99.9%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	17 of 5883	99.7%	★★★★★
2021	99.4	3 of 1417	99.8%	★★★★★
2019	98.8	21 of 5789	99.6%	★★★★★
2018	98.8	19 of 5662	99.7%	★★★★★
2017	97.5	139 of 5692	97.6%	★★★★★
2016	97.0	158 of 5614	97.2%	★★★★★
2015	97.3	157 of 5611	97.2%	★★★★★
2013	94.3	159 of 5530	97.1%	★★★★★
2012	96.1	36 of 5390	99.3%	★★★★★
2011	94.9	133 of 5377	97.5%	★★★★★
2010	95.7	96 of 5314	98.2%	★★★★★
2009	95.1	158 of 5193	97.0%	★★★★★
2008	95.6	146 of 5113	97.1%	★★★★★
2007	98.4	35 of 5113	99.3%	★★★★★
2006	97.7	68 of 4818	98.6%	★★★★★
2005	98.2	41 of 4822	99.1%	★★★★★
2004	98.0	82 of 4809	98.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	99.5	1 of 5612	100.0%	★★★★★
2023	99.1	5 of 5609	99.9%	★★★★★
2022	98.9	14 of 5635	99.8%	★★★★★
2021	98.8	7 of 1267	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	96.2	149 of 5492	97.3%	★★★★★
2018	97.9	43 of 5413	99.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.2	5 of 5628	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	99.6	1 of 5643	100.0%	★★★★★
2023	98.8	21 of 5638	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	98.5	39 of 5663	99.3%	★★★★★
2021	99.4	4 of 1272	99.7%	★★★★★
2019	99.5	3 of 5510	99.9%	★★★★★
2018	98.8	19 of 5431	99.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.4	2 of 2598	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	97.8	1 of 2651	100.0%	★★★★★
2023	95.3	5 of 2661	99.8%	★★★★★
2022	93.9	16 of 2726	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	92.3	41 of 2834	98.6%	★★★★★
2018	93.9	20 of 2737	99.3%	★★★★★

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)

Female (2024)100th percentile~ school

White (2025)100th percentile~ school

Male (2025)100th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy96%+47 vs state

Mathematics95%+58 vs state

Science95%+62 vs state

5.0

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by a principal
Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Every Child, Every Opportunity, Every Day! Close Quote

Schools Near Cold Spring 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)	% 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	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cold Spring Elementary	Public	K-6	2243 Sycamore Canyon Rd.	Santa Barbara	93108	Santa Barbara County	Cold Spring Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 969-2678	188	14	13.6	5.9%	149 (79.3%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.3%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (12.8%)	99.4	3^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	99.9%		99.7	1^st of 5869 public elementary schools	100.0%	2																					95.0	95.0	95.8	96.8	100.0	93.6	96.2	100.0	96.8	80.0	100.0	95.3
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
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
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
Montecito Union	Public	K-6	385 San Ysidro Rd.	Santa Barbara	93108	Santa Barbara County	Montecito Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 969-3249	353	29	12.0	5.1%	263 (74.5%)	1 (0.3%)	44 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (12.7%)	98.9	18^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.7%		98.8	26^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.6%	8																					79.0	79.0	91.1	89.8	93.1	88.6	90.8	86.7	96.6	90.9	90.9	91.6						$45,001	$284	$44,717
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
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
Summerland Elementary	Public	K-5	135 Valencia Ave.	Summerland	93067	Santa Barbara County	Carpinteria Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 969-1011	51	3	17.0	25.5%	38 (74.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (21.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.9%)	88	779^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.7%					(n/a)																					54.6	54.6			63.6		72.7			81.8		81.8						$28,159	$599	$27,560
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Cold Spring Elementary

What district is Cold Spring Elementary in?

Cold Spring Elementary

Is Cold Spring Elementary a good school?

Yes! Cold Spring Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 3^rd of 5857 California elementary schools.

How many students attend Cold Spring Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 188 students attended Cold Spring Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Cold Spring Elementary?

Students at Cold Spring Elementary are 79% White, 13% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian.

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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.