Districts & Schools Overview

About our Districts & Schools

The Santa Barbara County Education Office serves 20 public school districts with approximately 70,000 students in Santa Barbara County. The 20 school districts in Santa Barbara County range from Carpinteria in the southeast corner to Guadalupe and Santa Maria-Bonita in the northwest corner. The largest unified (TK-12) district in the county is Santa Barbara Unified, with almost 15,000 students. The largest elementary district (TK-8) is Santa Maria-Bonita, with almost 17,000 students. The largest secondary district is Santa Maria High, with more than 8,000 students. By way of comparison, the smallest unified district is Cuyama, with just 786 students. The smallest elementary district is Vista del Mar, with 51 students, and the smallest secondary district is Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District, with 926 students.