The Santa Barbara Unified School District achieved reading scores above 50% and a 5% increase in math scores during the 2024-25 school year.

Superintendent Hilda Maldonado shared a few highlights from preliminary state test results at a welcome back event for teachers, instructional assistants, district staff and leaders Friday morning at The Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara.

“Year after year, our scores have been steadily growing,” Maldonado said to district teachers and staff. “This is progress worth celebrating and momentum worth building up. But these are not just numbers; they are proof that when we believe in our students and work together, transformation happens.”

Maldonado celebrated improved literacy scores for third- through sixth-graders at Adams Elementary, improved math scores for third- through sixth-graders at Harding School, and a 30% increase in literacy scores for sixth-graders at Cleveland Elementary.

Additionally, Franklin Elementary School fourth-graders saw a 29% increase in math scores. Literacy scores for Washington Elementary fourth-graders increased 42%, and Monroe Elementary third-graders had a 13% increase in literacy scores, according to Maldonado.

At the junior high school level, La Cumbre eighth-graders increased their math scores by 13%. La Colina Junior High saw a 13% increase in seventh-grade math scores, and Santa Barbara Junior High eighth-grade math scores increased 10% compared with the previous year.

All of the district’s high schools increased literacy scores, with Santa Barbara High School seeing a 9% increase, San Marcos a 7% increase and Dos Pueblos a 2% increase in literacy, Maldonado said.

Last year’s test results showed that more than half of elementary school students failed to meet grade-level standards in reading and math.

More detailed test results for this year will be published in October, Maldonado said.

Santa Barbara district students will head back to school next Wednesday.

Going into the school year, Maldonado acknowledged the fear that immigrant communities may have after federal raids and increased immigration enforcement, arrests and deportations over the summer.

“Some of our students will walk through your classroom doors having spent the summer in that fear and anxiety, while others are going to return from having their best summer yet,” Maldonado said. “To be ready to learn, they’re going to need you, your courage, your preparedness and your strength.”

State Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, a Santa Barbara High School alumna and a former member of the school board, acknowledged the fear among educators but also encouraged teachers and staff to carry hope.

“I know that our schools and that you all as educators have the power to instill more hope that supersedes the uncertainty that so many students and families are living today,” Limón said. “I know that because I’ve lived that with you.”

Friday’s kickoff event included performances from high school cheer teams, the La Colina jazz band, Santa Barbara High School’s Folklorico dance team, and a musical performance from McKinley Elementary School fourth-grader Mila Rey.

The event ended with a keynote speech from Julian Vasquez Heilig, a professor of educational leadership, research and technology at Western Michigan University.

Heilig gave the theater full of educators guidance on shaping school culture, how their roles support students, and what challenges they face in their schools.

He also encouraged teachers and staff to have courage in the face of attacks on curriculum, student equity and public education.

“​​Public education is the compass of our democracy, so courage is no longer optional in this moment,” Heilig said. “We need courage in our classrooms, in our board rooms, in the staff lounge — courage that is clear, steady and grounded in values.”