Extensive information about each of Santa Barbara County's 95 public schools is just a couple of clicks away, thanks to the Internet. Several excellent web sites provide detailed information on school performance.

Schoolwisepress
http://www.schoolwisepress.com

By clicking on the "Compare Schools" link on the Schoolwisepress home page and following instructions, users can rank schools by county using over 20 different indicators. Indicators include statewide Stanford 9 test scores, Academic Performance Index (API) results, percent of students classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP), and computers per student.

Greatschools.net
http://greatschools.net

Greatschools.net provides user-friendly academic and demographic profiles for every school in California. One particularly handy feature permits users to type in their address and receive a listing of public schools in the immediate vicinity. School profiles are free of charge.

Ed-Data
http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us

The Ed-Data Web site provides free, useful and well-organized school and district profiles.

Academic Performance Index (API)
http:// www.cde.ca.gov/psaa/api/

This site provides Academic Performance Index reports as prepared by the California Department of Education as part of the Public Schools Accountability Act.

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Test Results
http://star.cde.ca.gov/

All students in California in grades 2 through 8 are tested in reading, written expression (language), spelling, and mathematics. Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 are tested in reading, writing (language), mathematics, science, and history-social science.

School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs)

Every school in California is required to produce a school accountability report card on an annual basis. School accountability report cards provide detailed information about each school's test scores, demographics, staffing, and budgets. Most (but not all) school districts in Santa Barbara County have school accountabilty report cards posted on the Web. Use the link below:

Santa Barbara County school accountability report cards

Public Schools
Santa Barbara County public schools

Private Schools
Santa Barbara County private schools

California Association of Independent Schools Directory
Provides links to private schools that are members of the California Association of Independent Schools.