2025 Compare Cities Education:
Arcata, CA vs Santa Barbara, CA

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Highlights
- Santa Barbara spends 6.4% more per student than Arcata.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 11.3% higher in Santa Barbara than in Arcata. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Santa Barbara had 6.3% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Arcata
 Arcata, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$16,705$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$13,439  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,862$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio18.88  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock123874573
 Students per Counselor659  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock7.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.3.9%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock88.0%88.9%
 Some College Educ.22.5%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.2%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.46.4%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock12.6%9.3%
 Professional Degree3.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.5%1.5%
Reviews for Arcata    17 Reviews

Pros: Nature hikes Cons: One of highest crime rates in the nation. Opioid epidemic going on (you’ll regularly witness drug deals and ppl doing drugs) No  More

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It takes a special set of preferences to select Arcata. Is this you? - You love clouds and fog. You are happy if you see the sun maybe 10-20 times a year. - Chilly  More

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Over 11 years ago

I've lived in Humboldt for over 30 yrs and know all the areas well. Arcata is the jewel of Humboldt due to having a university and many liberal creative people. There is  More

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Reviews for Santa Barbara    51 Reviews

I moved to Santa Barbara around 23 years ago to study at Brooks, which like most of the Santa Barbara that I knew—has been destroyed. Homelessness, drugs, gangs, high  More

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Over 4 years ago

I fell in love with Santa Barbara about thirty years ago and finally moved here a few years ago. Because of the price of homes, it is an expensive place to live. The  More

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If you like high crime, paying a $4,500 a month mortgage and crazy high taxes, this is the place for you. It’s too bad because it wasn’t always like this. When I moved  More

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