2026 Compare Cities Education:
Santa Barbara, CA vs Carefree, AZ

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Highlights
- Carefree spends 36.8% less per student than Santa Barbara.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 13.2% lower in Carefree than in Santa Barbara. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Carefree had 13.6% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Santa Barbara
 Santa Barbara, CACarefree, AZUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$10,564$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$13,158  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$4,810$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio21.01  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock23484573
 Students per Counselor539  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock0.0%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.4.9%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock99.9%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.5%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.4%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.50.5%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock16.0%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.6%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock2.2%1.5%
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 5 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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Reviews for Carefree    4 Reviews

Carefree is not the laid back community it once was. It’s inundated with bikers because of the town of Cave Creek, which is a haven for Bikers and “Forever Trump” cult  More

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Over 10 years ago

Delightful from Mid-Oct thru Mid-May. Very hot in summer but the dryness does allow for more activities than a humid climate does. I can testify to that, having lived in  More

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Over 17 years ago

Life in Carefree is definitely free and easy. Part Cowboy and part resort there is peace and quiet all around. If you love the old west than you are in the heart of it  More

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