County directory · California · 2026–27
School districts in Santa Barbara County, CA
Santa Barbara County has 21 regular public school districts, enrolling 63,392 students in 2024–25. The largest is Santa Maria-Bonita (17,408 students, 27% of the county), followed by Santa Barbara Unified and Santa Maria Joint Union High. 19 of the 21 offer kindergarten. California's kindergarten cutoff: turn 5 by September 1.
The 21 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria-Bonita 708 South Miller St., Santa Maria | K–8 | 21 | 17,408 | 2,933 | (805) 928-1783 |
| Santa Barbara Unified 720 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara | K–12 | 21 | 12,250 | 688 | (805) 963-4338 |
| Santa Maria Joint Union High 2560 Skyway Dr., Santa Maria | 9–12 | 4 | 8,930 | — | (805) 922-4573 |
| Lompoc Unified 1301 North A St., Lompoc | K–12 | 16 | 8,898 | 955 | (805) 742-3300 |
| Orcutt Union Elementary 500 Dyer St., Orcutt | K–12 | 10 | 4,911 | 571 | (805) 938-8900 |
| Goleta Union Elementary 401 North Fairview Ave., Goleta | K–6 | 9 | 3,395 | 676 | (805) 681-1200 |
| Carpinteria Unified 1400 Linden Ave., Carpinteria | K–12 | 6 | 1,924 | 157 | (805) 684-4511 |
| Guadalupe Union Elementary 4465 Ninth St., Guadalupe | K–8 | 4 | 1,323 | 227 | (805) 343-2114 |
| Hope Elementary 3970 La Colina Rd. Ste. 14, Santa Barbara | K–6 | 3 | 859 | 160 | (805) 682-2564 |
| Santa Ynez Valley Union High 2975 Mission Dr., Solvang | 9–12 | 2 | 813 | — | (805) 688-6487 |
| Solvang Elementary 565 Atterdag Rd., Solvang | K–8 | 1 | 602 | 85 | (805) 688-4810 |
| Buellton Union Elementary 301 Second St., Buellton | K–8 | 2 | 545 | 97 | (805) 686-2767 |
| Montecito Union Elementary 385 San Ysidro Rd., Santa Barbara | K–6 | 1 | 353 | 60 | (805) 969-3249 |
| Blochman Union Elementary 4949 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria | K–12 | 1 | 210 | 24 | (805) 937-1148 |
| Cold Spring Elementary 2243 Sycamore Canyon Rd., Santa Barbara | K–6 | 1 | 188 | 34 | (805) 969-2678 |
| College Elementary 3525 Pine St., Santa Ynez | K–8 | 2 | 175 | 28 | (805) 686-7300 |
| Cuyama Joint Unified 2300 Highway 166, Cuyama also serves San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County | K–12 | 4 | 164 | 16 | (661) 766-2482 |
| Los Olivos Elementary 2540 Alamo Pintado Ave., Los Olivos | K–8 | 1 | 159 | 23 | (805) 688-4025 |
| Ballard Elementary 2425 School St., Solvang | K–6 | 1 | 113 | 14 | (805) 688-4812 |
| Santa Barbara County Office of Education 4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd., Santa Barbara | K–12 | 3 | 107 | 6 | (805) 964-4711 |
| Vista del Mar Union 9467 San Julian Rd., Gaviota | K–8 | 1 | 65 | 9 | (805) 686-1880 |
Santa Barbara County at a glance
Together the 21 districts run 114 schools from offices in 13 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Vista del Mar Union, with 65 students; the median Santa Barbara County district has 602. By grade span: 7 K–12, 7 K–8, 5 K–6 and 2 9–12. Without kindergarten: Santa Maria Joint Union High (9–12) and Santa Ynez Valley Union High (9–12).
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 19 districts that report a K grade: 6,763 children. The biggest kindergarten was Santa Maria-Bonita's, with 2,933; Lompoc Unified had 955, and the smallest, Santa Barbara County Office of Education, had 6.
Santa Barbara County holds 21 of California's 987 regular districts (2.1%) and 1.2% of its 5,201,297 public school students, ranking 17th of 58 counties by number of districts and 19th by enrollment. By size, 4 enroll 5,000 or more, 4 enroll 1,000 to 4,999 and 13 have fewer than 1,000 students, and the average school here has about 556 students.
One district reaches past the county line: Cuyama Joint Unified (into San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 1 of Santa Barbara County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
Santa Maria-Bonita · Santa Barbara Unified · Santa Maria Joint Union High · Lompoc Unified · Orcutt Union Elementary · Goleta Union Elementary · Carpinteria Unified · Guadalupe Union Elementary · Hope Elementary · Santa Ynez Valley Union High · Solvang Elementary · Buellton Union Elementary · Montecito Union Elementary · Blochman Union Elementary · Cold Spring Elementary · College Elementary · Cuyama Joint Unified · Los Olivos Elementary · Ballard Elementary · Santa Barbara County Office of Education · Vista del Mar Union
What grade will my child be in?
More in California
Every California district by county · California kindergarten cutoff
More California county directories: Placer County (15) · San Benito County (12) · San Luis Obispo County (11) · Siskiyou County (26) · Sonoma County (41) · Stanislaus County (25)