The mission of Santa Barbara Charter School is to cultivate learning in the areas of arts, academics, and relationships.

We are a materials-based program and believe that learning takes place when students have an opportunity to construct meaning from their own experiences. Our goal is to provide an educational program with breadth and depth for students with different learning styles and types of intelligence.

We are a Public School that offers the benefits of a Private School.

• Small Class Sizes
• Academic Excellence
• Hands-on Activities
• Arts Integrated Curriculum
• Conflict Resolution Instruction
• Accommodate & Nurture Individual Learning Styles
• Performance-based Assessments
• Parent Involvement
• Small K-8 School
• NO TUITION

Santa Barbara Charter School opened September 15, 1993, on the campus of Goleta Valley Junior High School.

The school was founded as a result of the commitment of a group of parents and educators who wished to affirm their support for public education by creating an alternative for families who want to be involved in a nontraditional school. Enrollment is not limited to Santa Barbara School District boundaries.

Santa Barbara Charter School is a parent/staff cooperative with a child-centered approach to education.

The school’s curriculum is based on the California State Frameworks and the Santa Barbara School’s Student Goals and Learner Objectives. Elements of Waldorf, Montessori, and Humanistic models of education are incorporated. The theory of multiple intelligences is embraced as a foundation for both curriculum and methodology. Academics are taught through the arts, using drama, stories, music, and storytelling.