Head to head
Alta Vista Alternative High Schoolvs
Santa Barbara High School
Alta Vista Alternative High School is a public high school and Santa Barbara High School is a public 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.
| Metric | Alta Vista Alternative High School | Santa Barbara High School |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Public | Public |
| District / affiliation | Santa Barbara Unified School District | Santa Barbara Unified School District |
| Grades served | 9-12 | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 119 | 1,924● |
| Founded | — | 1875 |
| Student–teacher ratio | ~16.8:1 | 21.24:1 |
| Mascot | — | Dons |
| Tuition | Free (public) | Free (public) |
| Academics | ||
| Graduation rate | — | 93% (2023, U.S. News/PublicSchoolReview; CA avg 87%) |
| CAASPP ELA proficiency | — | 33% met/exceeded (2023, PublicSchoolReview via CDE; CA avg 47%) |
| CAASPP Math proficiency | — | 22% met/exceeded (2023, PublicSchoolReview via CDE; CA avg 34%) |
| College-going rate | — | CA Dashboard College/Career Indicator 'Prepared' 60.4% (2024, caschooldashboard.org, Green, +8.3%); a true post-secondary enrollment rate was not separately verifiable this session |
| U.S. News national rank | — | #6,843 nationally; 819th in California (2024, U.S. News) |
| AP participation rate | — | 42% (2024, U.S. News) |
| AP courses (listed) | — | 22 |
| Programs & life | ||
| Academies / signature programs | 0 | 3● |
| Sports offered | 0 | 23● |
| Clubs & activities | 0 | 26● |
| Notable facilities | — | 7● |
| Has PTA | No | Yes |
| Athletic boosters | No | Yes |
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.