Santa Barbara Unified Test Scores Rise to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Santa Barbara Unified students are making an academic comeback.

According to new statewide testing data released Tuesday, the district’s literacy and math scores have climbed to their highest point since before the pandemic — with 51.7 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in English language arts and 41.4 percent in math.

Those numbers, from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), place Santa Barbara Unified ahead of both the county and state averages — and within striking distance of its record highs from 2018–2019, before COVID-19 disrupted classrooms statewide.

“The recent test score growth across our district is a powerful testament to the tireless efforts of our teachers and staff,” Superintendent Hilda Maldonado said. “It proves that by focusing on evidence-based practices and aligning as leaders, teachers, and staff, we can accelerate equitable results in academic progress for every single student. Our teachers are the heart of this success, and I couldn’t be prouder of their dedication.”

Compared to last year, English language arts proficiency jumped more than two percentage points — from 49.4 to 51.7 percent — while math rose from 39.3 to 41.4 percent. That growth mirrors statewide trends but outpaces them: California’s averages rose to 48.8 percent in English and 37.3 percent in math.

The district’s pre-pandemic peak came in 2018–2019, when 54 percent of students met or exceeded standards in English and 45 percent in math — the highest scores ever recorded for Santa Barbara Unified. After pandemic learning disruptions pushed scores down statewide, the district has now recovered nearly all of that lost ground.

School board President Gabe Escobedo called the results “exciting, but also motivating.”

“I am so proud of our students, teachers, and staff for their hard work to get us to this point,” Escobedo said. “Every percentage point represents real progress for real students. These results are exciting, but we know there’s still work to do. I am confident we will continue to improve our test scores this year and beyond.”

The district’s progress is part of a broader “road to recovery,” according to administrators, after pandemic-era declines across the state. While scores remain about three percentage points below pre-pandemic peaks, the trajectory is optimistic. If trends continue, next year could mark a full rebound.

District leaders credit the steady rise to a multi-year investment in teachers and curriculum. Since 2022, elementary educators have trained in Orton-Gillingham and LETRS, evidence-based reading programs that strengthen literacy instruction. New English curricula — Wit & Wisdom and Fundations — rolled out last school year, alongside a new junior high math curriculum and the personalized digital learning platform IXL.

“Santa Barbara Unified’s exceptional teachers are the foundation of the test score growth,” wrote SBUSD Chief of Communications Ed Zuchelli. “This investment in alignment, accountability, and student-centered decision making is shifting the district’s culture to a collaborative and mission-driven organization.”

At the junior high level, schools like La Cumbre, Goleta Valley, and La Colina saw some of the biggest gains. Harding University Partnership School posted double-digit improvements in both subjects.

District data show that English proficiency has consistently outpaced math by about 10 percentage points over the past decade — a persistent gap the district hopes to close with new targeted support.

There are two other gaps that have persisted through time. Socioeconomic status remains a factor in proficiency rates, with Socio-Economically Disadvantaged (SED) students across both subjects achieving much lower rates. Gender also plays a role with female students maintaining higher proficiency rates than their male peers in both ELA and math.

Still, the overall picture is positive: Santa Barbara Unified students are performing above their peers across the county and state, signaling a steady recovery from the COVID era of online schooling.

“These results show that when we invest in our teachers and align around student success, progress follows,” Maldonado said.

If this trajectory continues, Santa Barbara Unified could surpass its pre-pandemic highs by next year — a milestone that would mark not only a return to form but also a full-circle recovery for the district’s 13,000 students.