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Preliminary 2025-26 CAASPP results show Santa Barbara Unified continuing a multi-year upward trend in English language arts and mathematics.
Districtwide, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or Advanced in ELA grew from 50.1% in 2022-23 to 53.3% in 2025-26. In mathematics, results increased from 38.1% in 2022-23 to 43.9% in 2025-26.
“While these results show steady, multi-year growth, our ultimate goal is for every single student to perform at or above grade level,” said Superintendent Dr. Hilda Maldonado. “Steady progress is encouraging, but we need to accelerate our efforts to hit our target goals faster. We are doubling down on what works: high-quality instruction and driving targeted interventions where support is needed most.”
The districtwide performance distribution also shifted over the four-year period. In ELA, the share of students in the Minimal performance level declined from 27.1% in 2022-23 to 24.1% in 2025-26, while Proficient/Advanced increased from 50.1% to 53.3%. In mathematics, Minimal declined from 36.3% to 33.5%, while Proficient/Advanced increased from 38.1% to 43.9%.
“These encouraging results show gains that align closely with the focused efforts underway across the District and reflect our Core Priorities of academic achievement, supportive school environments, family and community engagement, and sustainable use of resources,” said Board President William Banning. “There is still work to do, but we’re encouraged by the progress and remain committed to high-quality instruction, professional learning communities, and responsive systems of support. We will continue using data to strengthen teaching and learning and ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive.”
As Santa Barbara Unified prepares its new three-year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), district leadership will use these multi-year trends to establish ambitious performance goals and target funding where it will have the greatest impact on student learning. To establish these higher targets, Santa Barbara Unified is evaluating a comprehensive range of data, including preliminary CAASPP results, local benchmark assessments, and classroom implementation metrics to inform funding and instructional priorities in the upcoming 3-Year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).
Student-group results also show areas of progress and continued need. The district’s interactive data dashboard provides multi-year results by grade, school and student group, along with English Learner Progress Indicator data.
Explore the Full Interactive Dashboard
The 2025-26 results are preliminary and were locally aggregated by Santa Barbara Unified from California Department of Education TOMS data as of Aug. 31, 2026. Final state-published results may differ slightly.
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