Public schools in San Luis Obispo, CA
16 open public schools with an address in San Luis Obispo, operated by 3 education agencies. Compare size, staffing, grade spans, and school type, then confirm assignment with the district.
Public schools
16
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
Reported students
5,979
16 schools reporting · NCES 2024–25
Median student–teacher ratio
21.4:1
California median 21.6:1
Charter schools
2
2 magnet · 0 virtual
An overview of San Luis Obispo public schools
The federal directory lists 16 public schools in San Luis Obispo, CA: 7 elementary, 2 middle, 5 high, 2 combined or other. The 16 schools that reported 2024–25 membership enrolled 5,979 students, an average of 374 per school. The largest campus is San Luis Obispo High (1,678 students), and the largest elementary school is C L Smith Elementary (528).
San Luis Coastal Unified operates the most schools here (11), and 2 regular districts have at least one San Luis Obispo campus, plus 1 charter, service, or other agency. City names come from school mailing addresses, which often differ from district or municipal boundaries.
Across schools that reported staffing, the median student–teacher ratio is 21.4:1, similar to the statewide school median of 21.6:1. A ratio counts classroom-teacher FTE against total enrollment, so specialized programs and part-time staffing can move it; ask schools for actual class sizes by grade.
School choice options include 2 charter schools, 2 magnet schools. Application windows and lotteries usually open months before the school year.
Among 6 high and combined schools with 2021–22 civil-rights data, 1 reported students enrolled in AP courses and 1 of 7 reported computer-science classes. Confirm current course catalogs directly with each school.
About 41% of students in reporting schools were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. This describes the community served; it is not a quality signal, and community-eligibility schools can report differently.
School districts and agencies serving San Luis Obispo
Elementary schools in San Luis Obispo
7| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District · Charter | KG–06 | 163 | 23.3:1 | |
| Bishop's Peak Elementary San Luis Coastal Unified | KG–06 | 358 | 21.1:1 | |
| C L Smith Elementary San Luis Coastal Unified | KG–06 | 528 | 22.5:1 | |
| Hawthorne Elementary San Luis Coastal Unified | KG–06 | 437 | 23:1 | |
| Los Ranchos Elementary San Luis Coastal Unified | KG–06 | 521 | 22.7:1 | |
| Pacheco Elementary San Luis Coastal Unified · Magnet | KG–06 | 488 | 24.4:1 | |
| Sinsheimer Elementary San Luis Coastal Unified | KG–06 | 401 | 25.1:1 |
Middle schools in San Luis Obispo
2| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Middle San Luis Coastal Unified | 07–08 | 780 | 19.8:1 | |
| Teach Elementary San Luis Coastal Unified · Magnet | 04–06 | 193 | 32.2:1 |
High schools in San Luis Obispo
5| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grizzly ChalleNGe Charter San Luis Obispo County Office of Education · Charter | 10–12 | 241 | 16.3:1 | |
| Pacific Beach High San Luis Coastal Unified · Alternative School | 10–12 | 62 | 14.7:1 | |
| San Luis Obispo County Community San Luis Obispo County Office of Education · Alternative School | 06–12 | 76 | 19.3:1 | |
| San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Court San Luis Obispo County Office of Education · Alternative School | 06–12 | 11 | 5.1:1 | |
| San Luis Obispo High San Luis Coastal Unified | 09–12 | 1,678 | 21.6:1 |
Combined, early-childhood, and other schools in San Luis Obispo
2| School | Grades | Students | Ratio | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peep - Prepare San Luis Coastal Unified · Special Education School | KG–12 | 25 | 8.3:1 | |
| San Luis County Special Education San Luis Obispo County Office of Education · Special Education School | KG–12 | 17 | 4.3:1 |
Student demographics
Race and ethnicity share of reported enrollment
- White53%
- Hispanic33.4%
- Black1.1%
- Asian4.3%
- American Indian / Alaska Native0.2%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.1%
- Multiracial7.6%
Enrollment-weighted across 16 San Luis Obispo schools with NCES CCD 2024–25 race/ethnicity counts (5,979 students). Privacy suppression can leave small gaps.
Questions about public schools in San Luis Obispo
How many public schools are in San Luis Obispo, CA?
The current NCES directory lists 16 open public schools with a location address in San Luis Obispo: 7 elementary, 2 middle, 5 high, 2 combined or other. Together they reported 5,979 students in 2024–25. The count includes charter, alternative, and special-purpose public schools; it excludes private schools.
Which school districts serve San Luis Obispo?
Schools with an address in San Luis Obispo belong to 3 education agencies, led by San Luis Coastal Unified (11 schools), San Luis Obispo County Office of Education (4 schools), Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter District (1 school). A mailing city is not an attendance boundary; confirm the district for a specific address.
What is the largest public high school in San Luis Obispo?
San Luis Obispo High reported the largest high-school enrollment in San Luis Obispo, with 1,678 students in 2024–25 (grades 09–12). Size is a description of the campus, not a quality measure.
Are there charter schools in San Luis Obispo?
Yes. 2 of the 16 public schools in San Luis Obispo are identified as charter schools in the NCES directory, including Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter, Grizzly ChalleNGe Charter. Charter schools are public and tuition-free, but admission usually uses an application or lottery.
What is the typical student–teacher ratio in San Luis Obispo schools?
The median reported student–teacher ratio across San Luis Obispo public schools is 21.4:1, similar to the California school median of 21.6:1. The ratio divides enrollment by classroom-teacher FTE; it is not an average class size.
Does living in San Luis Obispo guarantee a seat at a specific school?
No. Assignment depends on the district's attendance boundaries, programs, and enrollment rules, which can split a city or cross city lines. Use the district profile and its official boundary or school-locator tool to confirm the assigned school for an exact address.
Nearby California cities
Sources: NCES Common Core of Data 2025–26 preliminary directory (schools, grades, addresses, charter status) and 2024–25 nonfiscal files (enrollment, teachers, race/ethnicity, meal eligibility); Civil Rights Data Collection 2021–22 (AP and computer science). Cities are grouped by school mailing address. Methodology · All California cities