Ventura County is home to twenty different school districts, each one as diverse as the students they serve. The smallest – with just 59 students – is the Santa Clara Elementary School District with its iconic red schoolhouse building alongside Highway 126. The largest is Conejo Valley Unified, with more than 18,000 students in 27 schools. 

Some districts only have elementary schools, one (Oxnard Union) has only high schools, and nine have the whole range from kindergarten through 12th grade. Several offer preschool and adult school as well. Our K-12 districts are known as “unified,” which means they were created by the union of an elementary and a high school district. The most recent local district to unify is Santa Paula, which went through the process in 2013. 

Despite their differences, all local school districts have much in common. They’re each governed by an elected board of trustees and led by a superintendent who is hired by the board. As we begin the 2019-2020 school year, we asked all of the superintendents to tell us a little bit about their districts. We invite you to explore this edition of Focus on Education to find out what makes Ventura County’s school districts unique and how they’re each working to ensure that all students receive a quality education that prepares them for a bright future in our changing world. 

Stan Mantooth
Ventura County Superintendent of Schools