Santa Barbara Unified Rises to Green on EL Progress
The district moved from orange to green on the California School Dashboard's English learner progress indicator.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Language Learning
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Santa Barbara Unified advanced from orange to green on the California School Dashboard for English learner progress, with a progress rate of 49.9%. The statewide rate is 47.4%, and the district gained 5.3 percentage points.
Why it matters
The English Learner Progress Indicator measures the share of English learners making progress toward English proficiency or maintaining the highest assessment level, a key measure for students still developing English skills. The district's gain comes after it implemented a new Emergent Multilingual Learner Master Plan last school year.
The district's 49.9% progress rate sits 2.5 points above the statewide 47.4%, and its 5.3-point gain outpaced the state's 1-point increase. The indicator does not capture how many students were reclassified as fluent in English.
The players
Santa Barbara Unified School District
A public school district in Santa Barbara, California, responsible for K-12 education in the city and its surrounding area.
California School Dashboard
The state's online accountability tool that publishes color-coded ratings for school districts and schools across several performance indicators.
The details
Franklin Elementary rose 27.9 percentage points to 57.4% and earned a blue rating, while ten schools in the district reported progress rates above the statewide average. Dos Pueblos High rose 1.9 points to 62.2%, a level classified as maintained.
Timeline
2025: District held an orange rating on the English learner progress Dashboard.
Last school year: Santa Barbara Unified implemented its new EML Master Plan.
2025-26: The district set an LCAP goal of 57% for English learner progress.
This year: The district moved to a green rating on the Dashboard.
Language Learning Landscape
The English Learner Progress Indicator, part of the California School Dashboard, rates districts on how many English learners advance toward proficiency. Santa Barbara Unified's move to green reflects gains measured under that state accountability system rather than a change in how progress is defined.
For families of English learners in Santa Barbara Unified, the district's improved rating signals stronger progress tracking for their children. Parents can ask schools how the district's integrated English Language Development approach is applied in their child's classes.
The takeaway
Gains in English learner progress depend on sustained instructional strategies, not one-year changes. Families can track their own school's rating on the California School Dashboard to see how English learners are progressing over time.
Further reading
Explore more on Language Learning to see how schools are approaching English acquisition.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Edhat Santa Barbara.
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