Vista de Las Cruces

Located at 9467 San Julian Rd., in Gaviota, California, Vista de Las Cruces is a rural-scale K-5 school that teaches 65 students (grades K through 8), part of Vista del Mar Union. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 86% smaller than typical.

Operationally, Vista de Las Cruces answers to Vista del Mar Union, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

Looking at the student body, Vista de Las Cruces logs that the most-represented group is White (54%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder comes out to 34% Hispanic, 12% multiracial.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 5 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.0:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 40% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably below Santa Barbara County's rate of about 68%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Santa Barbara County shows the typical household earns roughly $98,161 per year, about 37% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. In all, Santa Barbara County runs 129 public schools (combined enrollment of about 66,191 students), of which Vista de Las Cruces is one.

Nearest neighbor: Olive Grove Charter - Buellton, around 7.4 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 4 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Looking at the recent track record. Vista de Las Cruces's enrollment has fell 13% since 2018, when it stood at 75 (now 65). Over the same period, the Hispanic share decreased from 39% to 34%.

On allk12, the feed for Vista de Las Cruces typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.