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What do you wish you knew before starting at Goleta Valley Junior High?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
731
Middle
DISTRICT 501 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA BARBARA UNIFIED·NCES 060141406020
Goleta Valley Junior High
6100 Stow Canyon Rd., Goleta, CA 93117 · (805) 967-3486 · Santa Barbara County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL731 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 62% of California public middle schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public middle schools
Student : Teacher
19.3:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.1:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
333 students
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 353 | 48% |
| Grade 8 | 378 | 52% |
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
54.8%
CA avg 49.1% . +5.8pp since 2014
Math
48.9%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.9pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 49 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 6 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 3 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 22.5% | 32.3% | 21.2% | 24.0% |
| Math | 31.6% | 17.3% | 21.5% | 29.6% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 54.8% | 48.9% |
| 2023-24 | 53.5% | 48.9% |
| 2022-23 | 55.5% | 49.6% |
| 2021-22 | 57.0% | 49.4% |
| 2018-19 | 62.1% | 54.0% |
| 2017-18 | 60.2% | 50.8% |
| 2016-17 | 53.4% | 49.1% |
| 2015-16 | 44.0% | 43.0% |
| 2014-15 | 49.0% | 46.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
51.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.9%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Goleta Valley Junior High
Goleta Valley Junior High's state test result (51.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goleta Valley Junior High this school | 731 | 45.6% | 51.6% |
| Windsor Middle Windsor | 736 | 46.7% | 36.1% |
| Glen Edwards Middle Lincoln | 815 | 44.8% | 37.6% |
| Monte Vista Middle Camarillo | 576 | 45.5% | 38.6% |
| South Tahoe Middle South Lake Tahoe | 716 | 50.1% | 36.0% |
| Serrano Intermediate Lake Forest | 868 | 48.7% | 52.9% |
Matched among California middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Goleta Valley Junior High ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Barbara County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 51.6% | #329 of 1,224 | #3 of 15 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 48.9% | #280 of 1,227 ▼ 11 | #2 of 15 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.8% | #402 of 1,227 ▼ 15 | #3 of 15 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.4pp | #243 of 1,214 | #6 of 15 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 731 | #543 of 1,377 | #6 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.3:1 | #351 of 1,279 | #9 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.6% | #360 of 1,278 | #1 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 45.6% | #982 of 1,329 | #14 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.0% | #691 of 930 | #8 of 10 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
731
-30 (-4%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
19.3:1
was 21.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 731 | 37.9 | 19.3:1 | 46% (333) |
| 2023-24 | 736 | 37.6 | 19.6:1 | 49% (357) |
| 2022-23 | 717 | 39.1 | 18.4:1 | 49% (352) |
| 2020-21 | 761 | 35 | 21.7:1 | 43% (330) |
| 2017-18 | 803 | 37.2 | 21.6:1 | 41% (327) |
| 2015-16 | 770 | 36 | 21.4:1 | 41% (316) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Goleta Valley Junior High.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (803 to 731); teachers up 2% (37.2 to 37.9).
About Goleta Valley Junior High
Goleta Valley Junior High serves students in Goleta, California, as a medium-sized middle-grades school. A total of 731 students attend the school, which covers grades 7 through 8.
Goleta Valley Junior High is run by Santa Barbara Unified, whose 20 schools enroll 12,247 students.
At Goleta Valley Junior High, the largest share of students is Hispanic, at 49%. It is also 35% White, 8% multiracial, and 7% Asian. For comparison, Santa Barbara County is about 48% Hispanic. Pick two students at random and there is a 63% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its 37.9 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 19.3:1. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California. The school's lunch program data list 46% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The rate at public schools in Santa Barbara County averages 68%, higher than here.
Measured against California public middle schools, Goleta Valley Junior High receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Goleta Valley Junior High sits between the top and bottom 10% of California schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 51.6% and a predicted 52.9%.
Santa Barbara County has about 443,701 residents, and the median household income is $98,161, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 37% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. In all, Santa Barbara County has 129 public schools and roughly 66,191 students.
Nearest public school: Santa Barbara Charter, less than a tenth of a mile away. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, Goleta Valley Junior High is 6th of 9 nearby schools with test data.
The NCES locale for Goleta Valley Junior High is Suburb: Mid-size, which covers schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment has fallen by 30 students since 2020-21, to 731. The number of students per teacher fell from 21.7 to 19.3 over 4 years.
The discussion area below is open to posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Santa Barbara County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
443,701
Census ACS
Median income
$98,161
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
129
66,191 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Santa Barbara Unified
- Dos Pueblos Senior HighHigh · 2,149 students
- San Marcos Senior HighHigh · 1,926 students
- Santa Barbara Senior HighHigh · 1,924 students
- La Colina Junior HighMiddle · 832 students
- Santa Barbara Junior HighMiddle · 512 students
- Washington ElementaryElementary · 477 students
Other schools in Goleta
- Dos Pueblos Senior HighHigh · 2,149 students
- Brandon ElementaryElementary · 429 students
- Isla Vista ElementaryElementary · 418 students
- Kellogg ElementaryElementary · 369 students
- La Patera ElementaryElementary · 369 students
- Ellwood ElementaryElementary · 303 students
Nearby schools
- Santa Barbara Charter0.0 mi · 269
- La Patera Elementary0.7 mi · 369
- Kellogg Elementary0.8 mi · 369
- Mountain View Elementary1.1 mi · 351
- Foothill Elementary1.9 mi · 413
- El Camino Elementary2.3 mi · 350
Frequently asked questions
About Goleta Valley Junior HighHow large is Goleta Valley Junior High?
Goleta Valley Junior High enrolls approximately 731 students in grades 07-08.
What age range does Goleta Valley Junior High serve?
Goleta Valley Junior High serves students from grade 07 through grade 08.
How many teachers does Goleta Valley Junior High have?
Goleta Valley Junior High employs 38 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.3:1.
What is the student diversity at Goleta Valley Junior High?
Student demographics at Goleta Valley Junior High are roughly 35% White, 49% Hispanic, 1% Black, 7% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Goleta Valley Junior High?
Goleta Valley Junior High is overseen by Santa Barbara Unified in Santa Barbara County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.