Schools in Santa Barbara Unified · Santa Barbara County

About schools in Santa Barbara County

Twenty-two of Santa Barbara County's 106 ranked public schools score in the top quartile statewide — a notable concentration of high performers spread across a county that stretches from coastal Santa Barbara to inland Santa Maria and Lompoc. Cold Spring Elementary and Montecito Union both sit at the 100th percentile statewide, placing them among California's strongest schools in English and math. The county's 23 districts range from small rural elementaries to larger K-12 systems, with 14 charter options adding further variety. Families in the south county, particularly around Santa Barbara and Montecito, will find consistently competitive schools, while northern and inland communities offer a more mixed picture worth examining school by school.