Public schools in San Luis Obispo, CA
San Luis Obispo has 16 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 5 high, 2 middle, 7 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 5,979 students. They are run by 3 districts and agencies; San Luis Coastal Unified runs 11 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 3 districts and agencies that run San Luis Obispo's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in San Luis Obispo | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Coastal Unified | 11 | 7,555 | $18,117 |
| San Luis Obispo County Office of Education | 4 | 310 | not reported |
| Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District | 1 | 162 | $12,185 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
5 high schools in San Luis Obispo, 2,068 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo High | 1,678 | 21.6 | 28.8% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Grizzly ChalleNGe Charter | 241 | 16.3 | 77.6% | San Luis Obispo County Office of Education |
| San Luis Obispo County Community | 76 | 19.3 | 84.2% | San Luis Obispo County Office of Education |
| Pacific Beach High | 62 | 14.7 | 69.4% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Court | 11 | 5.1 | 72.7% | San Luis Obispo County Office of Education |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in San Luis Obispo, 973 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Middle | 780 | 19.8 | 31.9% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Teach Elementary | 193 | 32.2 | 16.1% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
7 elementary schools in San Luis Obispo, 2,896 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C L Smith Elementary | 528 | 22.5 | 39.8% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Los Ranchos Elementary | 521 | 22.7 | 18.0% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Pacheco Elementary | 488 | 24.4 | 36.9% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Hawthorne Elementary | 437 | 23.0 | 46.9% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Sinsheimer Elementary | 401 | 25.1 | 18.5% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Bishop's Peak Elementary | 358 | 21.1 | 25.7% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter | 163 | 23.3 | 15.3% | Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 other schools in San Luis Obispo, 42 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peep - Prepare | 25 | 8.3 | 16.0% | San Luis Coastal Unified |
| San Luis County Special Education | 17 | 4.3 | 82.4% | San Luis Obispo County Office of Education |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How San Luis Obispo's public schools compare with California's
The median San Luis Obispo school has 21.4 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 300 students (state 471).
| San Luis Obispo | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 21.4 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 300 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 25% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 13% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 16 San Luis Obispo schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in San Luis Obispo
- San Luis Coastal UnifiedRuns 11 of San Luis Obispo's 16 public schools and spent $18,117 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,117
- San Luis Obispo High, the largest high school in San Luis Obispo1,678 students in 2024-25, 21.6 per teacher.1,678
- Compare San Luis Coastal Unified with San Luis Obispo County Office of EducationSan Luis Obispo's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a San Luis Obispo addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in San Luis Obispo
How many public schools are in San Luis Obispo, CA?
16 public schools with an address in San Luis Obispo were open in 2024-25: 5 high, 2 middle, 7 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 5,979 students. 2 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in San Luis Obispo?
San Luis Obispo High, with 1,678 students in 2024-25 (San Luis Coastal Unified).Which districts run San Luis Obispo's schools?
San Luis Coastal Unified (11 schools), San Luis Obispo County Office of Education (4 schools), Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District (1 school). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25