The schools in the Santa Barbara area have a long history of scholastic excellence at both the elementary and secondary levels. Additionally many of our local teachers and school administrators are regarded as being some of the finest in the state as witnessed by many of our local schools receiving the award and recognition of being a “California Distinguished School.”
There is more than one school district in our area; however the Santa Barbara School District is by far the largest. The district encompasses 28 schools; spanning grades kindergarten through senior high school and as of 2007 had over 15,000 students enrolled. The schools themselves are spread throughout both the Santa Barbara and Goleta areas meaning that even though a family may live on the most western edge of Goleta or southern part of Montecito, that their children may still be attending schools within the Santa Barbara School District.
Education in our area has come a long way since the founding of the first school in the late 1700’s. From that initial rudimentary school associated with the Mission, education in our area underwent several different phases and manifestations before finally culminating with the founding of the Santa Barbara School District on June 6th, 1866. In 1867 there were only 243 students enrolled in the entire district, which is roughly the equivalent of a single elementary school’s enrollment today.
Today our schools feature curriculum that adheres to the latest state and national standards and students are instructed in subjects as diverse as elementary level reading and mathematics to robotics and engineering at the high school level. The tradition of academic excellence in the district is widespread, as many schools at both the primary and secondary levels have been acknowledged as California Distinguished Schools while others have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools.
The link below is the districts homepage and contains information on the Santa Barbara School District and school board as a whole as well as information on all the individual schools. While there are a number of other education options available in our area, our local public schools have a long history of academic excellence and have provided local students with a great education for over a century.