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Montecito Union

Public Grades K-6
3rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 100% of California elementary schools
Summary

Montecito Union is a K–6 elementary school serving 353 students in Montecito, in the Santa Barbara area. Its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were 95% in English language arts (ELA), 95% in math and 89% in science, all well above California’s rates of 49%, 38% and 36%. The clearest takeaway is that the school’s results are strong across all three subjects, not just one.

Compared with the state, the school’s largest advantage was in math, at 57 percentage points; its ELA advantage was 46 points, and its science advantage was 53 points. The reported rates for Montecito Union Elementary matched the school’s in all three subjects. Among seven nearby K–6 schools with current results, the average was 50% in ELA, 48% in math and 37% in science; Montecito Union was 46, 48 and 52 points higher, respectively. Science is therefore its biggest separator from nearby peers, while math is its biggest strength against the state. Cold Spring Elementary was the nearby exception, scoring higher in all three subjects, at 100% in ELA, 99% in math and 97% in science.

Results rose from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026: ELA increased 8 percentage points, math 5 and science 12. The school’s already-large leads over the state widened by 5 points in ELA, 2 in math and 7 in science. SchoolDigger ranked Montecito Union No. 3 of 5,804 California schools for 2025–2026, with 5 stars; it had been No. 67 in 2022–2023. Its 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 12:1, below the nearby-school range of 13.6:1 to 22.2:1. Its free/reduced lunch eligible rate was 5% that year, the lowest reported among nearby schools with the same measure and year; this is context, not an explanation for achievement. Nearby averages exclude schools without 2025–2026 results and the K–5 school.

353
Students ?
12.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$48,042
Per pupil spending ?
5.1%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
≥ 98%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
 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%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Montecito Union to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2016 → 100th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (95% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 1% of California elementary schools
✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school95%
District avg95%
California avg42%
3rd of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 1,530Montecito 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202699.53 of 581799.9%★★★★★
202598.918 of 585799.7%★★★★★
202498.826 of 586999.6%★★★★★
202398.367 of 585998.9%★★★★★
202298.931 of 588399.5%★★★★★
202197.937 of 141797.4%★★★★★
201997.792 of 578998.4%★★★★★
201897.791 of 566298.4%★★★★★
201798.087 of 569298.5%★★★★★
201698.248 of 561499.1%★★★★★
201598.285 of 561198.5%★★★★★
201394.8126 of 553097.7%★★★★★
201294.998 of 539098.2%★★★★★
201193.9188 of 537796.5%★★★★★
201095.2129 of 531497.6%★★★★★
200992.7317 of 519393.9%★★★★★
200895.4154 of 511397.0%★★★★★
200794.7241 of 511395.3%★★★★★
200695.9163 of 481896.6%★★★★★
200596.7124 of 482297.4%★★★★★
200498.080 of 480998.3%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202699.21 of 5581100.0%★★★★★
202598.616 of 559799.7%★★★★★
202498.050 of 561299.1%★★★★★
202398.056 of 560999.0%★★★★★
202298.625 of 563599.6%★★★★★
202196.740 of 126796.8%★★★★★
201997.460 of 549298.9%★★★★★
201898.036 of 541399.3%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
2024100.02 of 5517100.0%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202699.24 of 560399.9%★★★★★
202598.526 of 562899.5%★★★★★
202498.721 of 564399.6%★★★★★
202397.791 of 563898.4%★★★★★
202298.540 of 566399.3%★★★★★
202198.020 of 127298.4%★★★★★
201996.9129 of 551097.7%★★★★★
201896.1183 of 543196.6%★★★★★

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202693.03 of 75399.6%★★★★★
202586.052 of 71892.8%★★★★★
202487.045 of 67093.3%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202696.36 of 253699.8%★★★★★
202594.411 of 259899.6%★★★★★
202494.216 of 265199.4%★★★★★
202394.412 of 266199.5%★★★★★
202295.27 of 272699.7%★★★★★
201990.878 of 283497.2%★★★★★
201893.131 of 273798.9%★★★★★
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)
Female (2026)100th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2024)100th percentile~ school
Male (2026)100th percentile~ school
White (2026)100th percentile~ school
Multi-racial (2026)100th percentile~ school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics95%+57 vs state
English Language Arts/Literacy95%+46 vs state
Science89%+53 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Montecito Union

Yes! Montecito Union is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 3rd of 5817 California elementary schools.

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

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

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Latest California data All new data »
2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026
2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026


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.

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