Head to head
San Marcos High School vs Santa Barbara High School
Public · Santa Barbara
San Marcos High School
1,943 students
VS
Public · Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara High School
1,924 students
San Marcos 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 | San Marcos 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 | 1,943● | 1,924 |
| Founded | 1958 | 1875● |
| Student–teacher ratio | 20.82:1 | 21.24:1 |
| Mascot | Royals (Lancelot the Lion) | Dons |
| Tuition | Free (public) | Free (public) |
| Academics | ||
| Graduation rate | 93.5% four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (460 of 492 cohort) (2023-24, CDE DataQuest ACGR, CDS 42767864235230; refreshes the prior 96% 2023 U.S. News figure) | 94.3% four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (528 of 560 cohort) (2023-24, CDE DataQuest ACGR, CDS 42767864235727; refreshes the prior 93% 2023 U.S. News figure)● |
| CAASPP ELA proficiency | 55.92% met/exceeded standard (All Students; Level 4 27.96% + Level 3 27.96%) (2024-25, CAASPP/Smarter Balanced, caaspp-elpac.ets.org; ~59% in 2023)● | 44.88% met/exceeded standard (All Students; Level 4 13.17% + Level 3 31.71%) (2024-25, CAASPP/Smarter Balanced, caaspp-elpac.ets.org; up from 33% in 2023) |
| CAASPP Math proficiency | 34.84% met/exceeded standard (All Students; Level 4 19.26% + Level 3 15.58%) (2024-25, CAASPP/Smarter Balanced, caaspp-elpac.ets.org; ~36% in 2023)● | 18.71% met/exceeded standard (All Students; Level 4 5.76% + Level 3 12.95%) (2024-25, CAASPP/Smarter Balanced, caaspp-elpac.ets.org; down from 22% in 2023) |
| College-going rate | 82.7% 12-month college-going rate (393 of 475 high school completers enrolled in college within 12 months) (2022-23, CDE DataQuest College-Going Rate, CDS 42767864235230; latest published CGR year — confirms existing value exactly)● | 79.6% 12-month college-going rate (406 of 510 high school completers enrolled in college within 12 months) (2022-23, CDE DataQuest College-Going Rate, dq.cde.ca.gov, CDS 42767864235727; latest published CGR year — 2023-24 not yet released). Supersedes the prior Dashboard 'Prepared' 60.4% as the actual postsecondary-enrollment figure. |
| U.S. News national rank | #4,695 nationally; 605th in California (2024, U.S. News)● | #6,843 nationally; 819th in California (2024, U.S. News) |
| AP participation rate | 37% (2024, U.S. News) | 42% (2024, U.S. News)● |
| AP courses (listed) | 22 | 22 |
| Programs & life | ||
| Academies / signature programs | 3 | 3 |
| Sports offered | 20 | 23● |
| Clubs & activities | 23 | 26● |
| Notable facilities | 8● | 7 |
| Has PTA | Yes | Yes |
| Athletic boosters | Yes | Yes |
A marker (●), in the leading school's colors, 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.