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Montecito Union

Public Grades K-6

18^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 100% of California elementary schools

Summary

Montecito Union is a top-ranked K-6 elementary school serving 353 students in an affluent area of Santa Barbara, California, and is part of the elite Montecito Union Elementary district, which is ranked 3rd in the state.

The school's academic performance is exceptional, with over 90% of students proficient in English and Math—far exceeding state averages and significantly outperforming most nearby schools in the Santa Barbara Unified district. This excellence is supported by a very low student-teacher ratio of 12:1 and a per-student spending level that is nearly triple that of many surrounding schools, contributing to its consistent ranking in the 100th percentile statewide for over a decade.

Montecito Union is part of a notable cluster of high-performing schools, including the equally elite Cold Spring Elementary located just 1.7 miles away. While nearby charter schools like Peabody Charter show solid results, the resource and outcome gap between Montecito Union and most traditional public schools in the region is stark, highlighting a significant disparity in educational investment and results within Santa Barbara County.

353

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$95,763

Per pupil spending ?

5.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

385 San Ysidro Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93108-2131

(805) 969-3249

District: Montecito Union Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.5%

Two or more races:

12.7%

Hispanic:

12.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2015 → 100th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (90% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school90%

District avg90%

California avg41%

18^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 1,543Montecito Union 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	98.9	18 of 5857	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	98.8	26 of 5869	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	67 of 5859	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	98.9	31 of 5883	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	97.9	37 of 1417	97.4%	★★★★★
2019	97.7	92 of 5789	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	97.7	91 of 5662	98.4%	★★★★★
2017	98.0	87 of 5692	98.5%	★★★★★
2016	98.2	48 of 5614	99.1%	★★★★★
2015	98.2	85 of 5611	98.5%	★★★★★
2013	94.8	126 of 5530	97.7%	★★★★★
2012	94.9	98 of 5390	98.2%	★★★★★
2011	93.9	188 of 5377	96.5%	★★★★★
2010	95.2	129 of 5314	97.6%	★★★★★
2009	92.7	317 of 5193	93.9%	★★★★★
2008	95.4	154 of 5113	97.0%	★★★★★
2007	94.7	241 of 5113	95.3%	★★★★★
2006	95.9	163 of 4818	96.6%	★★★★★
2005	96.7	124 of 4822	97.4%	★★★★★
2004	98.0	80 of 4809	98.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.6	16 of 5597	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	98.0	50 of 5612	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	98.0	56 of 5609	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	98.6	25 of 5635	99.6%	★★★★★
2021	96.7	40 of 1267	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	97.4	60 of 5492	98.9%	★★★★★
2018	98.0	36 of 5413	99.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	100.0	2 of 5517	100.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.5	26 of 5628	99.5%	★★★★★
2024	98.7	21 of 5643	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	97.7	91 of 5638	98.4%	★★★★★
2022	98.5	40 of 5663	99.3%	★★★★★
2021	98.0	20 of 1272	98.4%	★★★★★
2019	96.9	129 of 5510	97.7%	★★★★★
2018	96.1	183 of 5431	96.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.0	52 of 718	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	87.0	45 of 670	93.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.4	11 of 2598	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	94.2	16 of 2651	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	12 of 2661	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	95.2	7 of 2726	99.7%	★★★★★
2019	90.8	78 of 2834	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	93.1	31 of 2737	98.9%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)100th percentile~ school

Female (2025)100th percentile~ school

White (2025)100th percentile~ school

Male (2025)100th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)93rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics92%+54 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy91%+42 vs state

Science79%+46 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Montecito Union

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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)	% 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	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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						$95,763	$95,442	$321
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
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						$23,516	$23,068	$448
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					$28,865	$25,684	$3,181
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Montecito Union

Is Montecito Union a good school?

Yes! Montecito Union is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 18^th of 5857 California elementary schools.

How many students attend Montecito Union?

In the 2024-25 school year, 353 students attended Montecito Union.

What is the racial makeup of Montecito Union?

Students at Montecito Union are 75% White, 13% Two or more races, 12% Hispanic.

What district is Montecito Union in?

Montecito Union Elementary

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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.