Head to head

Alta Vista Alternative High School logoAlta Vista Alternative High SchoolvsProvidence School (Providence, A Santa Barbara Christian School) logoProvidence School (Providence, A Santa Barbara Christian School)

Alta Vista Alternative High School is a public high school and Providence School (Providence, A Santa Barbara Christian School) is a private high school, both in Santa Barbara, CA. The table below sets them side by side on enrollment, published academic figures, AP participation, and the breadth of their sports and clubs.

MetricAlta Vista Alternative High School logoAlta Vista Alternative High SchoolProvidence School (Providence, A Santa Barbara Christian School) logoProvidence School (Providence, A Santa Barbara Christian School)
Overview
TypePublicPrivate
District / affiliationSanta Barbara Unified School DistrictNon-denominational Christian
Grades served9-12PreK-12 (Upper School grades 9-12)
Enrollment119379
Founded1959
Student–teacher ratio~16.8:1~9:1
MascotPatriots
TuitionFree (public)Up to $23,975 for Upper School; $17,200 base K-2 (2025-26 / 2026-27 cycle, PrivateSchoolReview & providencesb.org)
Academics
Graduation rate
CAASPP ELA proficiency
CAASPP Math proficiency
College-going rate
U.S. News national rank
AP participation rate
AP courses (listed)
Programs & life
Academies / signature programs00
Sports offered09
Clubs & activities08
Notable facilities6
Has PTANoYes
Athletic boostersNoNo

A clay marker (●) flags the stronger reported figure on objective, comparable measures only. A dash (—) means the figure isn't published for that school — private schools generally don't sit the state CAASPP tests, so their academic cells are often blank.