Santa Barbara Unified School District

The next Santa Barbara Unified Board of Education meeting is Tuesday, August 11th.

Closed Session: 4:30 PM
Open Session: 6:00 PM

The full agenda is available on our website. 🔗 www.sbunified.org

Celebrating the traditions of Fiesta through dance! 🌺

This week, Santa Barbara Unified had the opportunity to enjoy performances from Zermeno Dance Academy and Puro Flamenco Dance Company as they shared the color, energy, and artistry of Old Spanish Days.

It was a special treat to see many SB Unified students take the stage and showcase their talent alongside their fellow dancers.

Here are some of our favorite moments from a week filled with dance, tradition, and community.

Viva La Fiesta! 💃

Last week, Santa Barbara Unified proudly served as the host district for AVID's Regional Summer Institute at Westmont College, bringing educators from across the Central Coast together to learn, collaborate, and grow.

Hosting the institute locally created a more cost effective opportunity for districts to expand professional learning, allowing more teachers to participate without traveling to San Diego.

Fourteen SBUnified educators took part in Communities of Practice focused on Tutorology, Academic Language & Literacy, and Foundations PreK-2, strengthening the strategies that help students succeed in every classroom.

Before the first bell rings, before classrooms fill with students and before teachers welcome a new class, the work of a successful school year is already underway.

This week, school leaders from across Santa Barbara Unified gathered at McKinley Elementary to begin shaping the year ahead. Principals, assistant principals, deans and district leaders came together with a shared purpose: reflecting on what we learned last year and building a stronger path forward for every student.

Every conversation came back to the priorities that guide our work. How do we help every student achieve at higher levels? How do we ensure every campus is a place where students feel safe, supported and connected? How do we strengthen partnerships with families and our community? And how do we make the most of every resource entrusted to us so it has the greatest impact in our classrooms?

These questions are more than strategic priorities. They are the foundation for the decisions our leaders make every day, and they will shape the experiences of students across our district throughout the coming school year.

The countdown to the first day of school has officially begun. Next up: welcoming our teachers back.

We are thrilled to announce that SB Unified Preschool Program is now enrolling for our half-day preschool program for the upcoming school year 2026-2027. Our program is designed to serve 3 and 4-year-old children, offering both AM and PM sessions.

Our high-quality licensed facilities are equipped with everything your child needs to have a fun and engaging learning experience. We take pride in providing a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment that fosters your child’s development and prepares them for a successful transition to TK or kindergarten.

Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis, so we highly recommend that you enroll soon to secure your preferred session (AM/PM) and ensure that you are able to enroll at your home school.

To pick up an enrollment packet, please visit us at 1030 E Yanonali st, room 33.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to our preschool program.

This past school year, Santa Barbara Unified introduced a new reading assessment tool to help us track exactly how our students are growing as readers. Now that the school year has wrapped up, the data is in, and our 1st Graders made incredible progress!

By looking at where students started at the beginning of the year compared to where they finished, here is the amazing growth we saw:

On Track for Success: The number of 1st Graders reading right where they need to be (or even further ahead!) jumped from 38% to 64%. That is a massive 26-percentage-point increase!

Leaping Ahead: Students scoring above their reading goals nearly doubled, rising from 19% to 36%.

Closing the Gap: The percentage of students who needed the most intensive reading support dropped significantly, from 40% down to 24%.

What does this mean? It means our new tools and teaching strategies are working, and more of our students are heading into 2nd grade with the strong reading foundation they deserve.

Growth like this takes a village. Thank you to our hardworking teachers, our dedicated staff, and especially to YOU, our families, for reading at home and supporting our learners every step of the way. Way to go, SB Unified!

The next Santa Barbara Unified Board of Education meeting is Tuesday, July 21st.

Closed Session: 4:30 PM
Open Session: 6:00 PM

The full agenda is available on our website. 🔗 www.sbunified.org

Big wins for our youngest readers!

This past school year, Santa Barbara Unified introduced a new reading assessment tool to help us track exactly how our students are growing as readers. Now that the school year has wrapped up, the data is in. And our Kindergarteners made incredible progress!

By looking at where students started in the middle of the year compared to where they finished, here is the amazing growth we saw:

-On Track for Success: The number of Kindergarteners reading right where they need to be (or even further ahead!) jumped from 39% to 62%—that is a massive 23-percentage-point increase! 📈
-Leaping Ahead: Students scoring above their reading goals nearly doubled, rising from 19% to 36%. 🌟
-Closing the Gap: The percentage of students who needed the most intensive reading support dropped significantly, from 41% down to 24%. 📉

What does this mean? It means our new tools and teaching strategies are working, and more of our students are heading into first grade with the strong reading foundation they deserve.

Growth like this takes a village. Thank you to our hardworking teachers, our dedicated staff, and especially to our families for reading at home and supporting our learners every step of the way!