Public education in Encinitas is provided by three independent school districts, not by the city. The Encinitas Union School District and Cardiff School District run elementary schools, and the San Dieguito Union High School District serves grades 7–12.[1] The city also has several private schools and a campus of MiraCosta College.
Encinitas Union School District
EUSD runs nine elementary schools plus the Farm Lab DREAMS campus.[2]
- Capri Elementary
- El Camino Creek Elementary
- Flora Vista Elementary
- La Costa Heights Elementary
- Mission Estancia Elementary
- Ocean Knoll Elementary
- Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary
- Park Dale Lane Elementary
- Paul Ecke Central Elementary
- Farm Lab DREAMS Campus
The district drew national attention in a lawsuit over school yoga classes.[2]
Cardiff School District
Cardiff-by-the-Sea has its own two-school district: Cardiff Elementary (K–3) and Ada Harris Elementary (3–6).[3]
San Dieguito Union High School District
Before 1936, coastal North County students went to high school in Oceanside. In January 1936 voters in Encinitas, Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Green Valley and Olivenhain created a new high-school district, and San Dieguito Union High School opened that September in buildings designed by Lillian J. Rice.[4] The district now takes students from five elementary districts: Encinitas, Cardiff, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach and Del Mar.[4] Anne Staffieri has been superintendent since July 2023, and Jodie Williams has been board president since December 2024.[4]
| School | Grades | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| San Dieguito High School Academy | 9–12 | Flagship, opened 1936; semester schedule; 2,059 students (2020–21)[4] |
| Sunset High School | 9–12 | Alternative high school[4] |
| Oak Crest Middle School | 7–8 | Opened 1957 |
| Diegueño Middle School | 7–8 | Opened 1985 |
Students in parts of Olivenhain and Leucadia may also attend La Costa Canyon High School, just north of the city.[5]
Private schools
Private schools in Encinitas include the Grauer School (college preparatory, middle and high), Pacific Academy, Encinitas Country Day School, The Rhoades School, Rancho Encinitas Academy, Saint John the Evangelist School and Sanderling Waldorf School. The Watts Atelier of the Arts teaches visual art.[1]
Higher education
MiraCosta College, the public community college for coastal North County, has two campuses: one in Oceanside and the San Elijo Campus in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. The college district expanded in 1976 to include the coastal communities from Camp Pendleton to Del Mar.[6] The California Institute for Human Science and St. Katherine College are also in Encinitas.[1] Major universities nearby include UC San Diego and Cal State San Marcos.
Childcare and tutoring
Licensed childcare centres and family childcare homes in California can be looked up in the Department of Social Services' care facility search, which shows licence status and inspection reports.[7]
MiraCosta's San Elijo Campus
After expanding to the coastal communities in 1976, MiraCosta opened a satellite in a vacant Del Mar elementary school. It then bought a 48-acre parcel near San Elijo Lagoon in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, where the San Elijo Campus opened in 1988 with 2,500 credit students.[6] The campus has a library and information hub.[6]
By 1978, before the Cardiff campus opened, the expanded college district already enrolled more than 7,000 students.[6]
Enrolment
San Dieguito High School Academy enrolled 2,059 students in 2020–21.[4] The Encinitas Union district's nine elementary schools serve most of the city, and Cardiff's two schools serve that community.[2][3]
Common questions
- What school district is Encinitas in?
- Elementary students attend the Encinitas Union School District, or the Cardiff School District in Cardiff. Grades 7–12 are in the San Dieguito Union High School District.
- What high school do Encinitas students attend?
- San Dieguito High School Academy is in Encinitas. Depending on address and choice, students also attend La Costa Canyon or other San Dieguito district high schools.
See also
Notes and sources
- Encinitas, California. Wikipedia.
- Encinitas Union School District. Wikipedia.
- Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Encinitas, California. Wikipedia.
- San Dieguito Union High School District. Wikipedia.
- Olivenhain, Encinitas, California. Wikipedia.
- MiraCosta College. Wikipedia.
- Care Facility Search. California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing.
- QuickFacts: Encinitas city, California. U.S. Census Bureau.