Every child, every chance, every day.

 

PROGRAM SHOWCASE
Earl Warren Showgrounds

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 
8th graders attend during school day • Families welcome from 5-7 p.m.

The SBUSD High School Showcase Event brings together the Academy, Career Technical Education, and Visual and Performing Arts programs from all of the high schools in the district. The purpose of the SBUSD High School Showcase is to ensure that prospective high school students and their families have equitable access to information about the various articulated academies, career/technical pathways, and visual and performing arts classes featured in our high schools. During the day, all incoming 8th graders in the SBUSD are brought to the Earl Warren Showgrounds to view program exhibits and interact with current high school students and teachers.

The Showcase is open to the public from 5-7 p.m., and families are welcome to visit the booths and meet student and staff representatives from each of the programs.

  

   

Open House Dates!

To learn more about a specific school, or the pathways and programs at a specific school, you can also attend the following Open House Events:

Santa Barbara High School:
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Dos Pueblos High School: 
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
San Marcos High School:
Monday, January 13, 2025
6:00pm - 8:00 pm

All Open House sessions begin at 6:00 p.m. They are designed specifically to welcome and inform students and parents of incoming 9th graders, and new to the area or transfer students. Open Houses provide details regarding the course selection process; the transfer window, and introductions to school programs and staff. For more information about specific school sessions and zoom links for the webinars, please visit the school websites.

School Transfers Now Available!

Interested in a pathway, academy, or program of choice that is not available at your zoned home school? Submit an intra-district transfer request application for 2025-2026. The priority application window for next school year 2025-2026 will open on December 1, 2024.The priority deadline to apply is January 24, 2025.

Click here
to go to our
Intra-District Transfer webpage

Applications for Academies and Programs of Choice

The following academies and programs of choice have an application process for 8th grade students transitioning to 9th grade in 2024-2025. Families are encouraged to connect with those schools and academy leads for more details about their application. 

 

Join Dual Language Immersion

Career Technical Education [CTE]

PROGRAMS BY INDUSTRY
                                                                                                         

CTE Pathway

The state of California considers completing a Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway to be of equal importance to earning UC a-g completion when identifying students as college and career ready. 

CTE Pathways are 2-3 years of single industry-based classes that apply academia and career skills training for a rich student experience of project-based coursework. Students who complete CTE pathway coursework are designated as CTE Pathway Completers.

  • Students choose their other academic courses.

  • All SB Unified CTE classes also earn students UC a-g credit.

  • Some SB Unified CTE classes also earn students college credit through our dual enrollment partnership with SBCC

  • Students are encouraged to complete pathways, but can finish just one year’s coursework, and explore other programs, if they wish. 

  • (CTE Pathways include Work-Based Learning (WBL) opportunities and experiences, such as guest speakers, mock interviews, field trips, job shadowing, and internships.

  • Some of our Academy Programs  are also CTE Pathways.

CTE Pathway
Programs of Choice

CTE Pathway Programs of Choice are 3-4 year programs that include a CTE pathway and also provide additional leadership, supports, and extra-curricular activities for students. There are two types of CTE Pathway Programs of Choice in Santa Barbara Unified: Programs of Choice Academies and California Partnership Academies.

Programs of Choice Academies are 3-4 year programs that include a CTE pathway. They include:

  • The opportunity for students to choose their academic courses.

  • Courses that earn students UC a-g credit, some provide Honors/AP credit, some provide college credit through our dual enrollment partnership with SBCC.

  • Strong student leadership organizations

  • Work-Based Learning (WBL) opportunities and experiences, including guest speakers, mock interviews, field trips, job shadowing, mentorships, and internships.

Programs of Choice Academies are:

  • DPHS Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy

  • SBHS Computer Science Academy

  • SMHS Entrepreneurship Academy

  • SMHS Health Careers Academy

CTE Pathway
CA Partnership Academies

California Partnership Academies are 3-4 year programs that include a CTE pathway and a prescribed program of academic courses. The model is best described as a ‘school within a school’, resulting in small learning communities and specifically designed for students at risk of not completing high school.

  • The academic and elective courses focus on a single industry sector, and provide students with interdisciplinary curriculum and project based learning.

  • Students are grouped  together for 3-4 periods a day within  the academy, and remain in this sequence until graduation.

  • All courses earn students UC a-g credit; some provide Honors/AP credit, some provide college credit through our dual enrollment partnership with SBCC

  • California Partnership Academies include Work-Based Learning (WBL) opportunities and experiences, including guest speakers, mock interviews, field trips, job shadowing, mentorships, and internships.

SB Unified California Partnership Academies are:

  • SBHS Multimedia Art and Design Academy

  • SBHS Visual Art and Design Academy

College Readiness Programs of Choice

College Readiness Programs of Choice pathways prepare students for college and careers, but are not directly linked to a specific industry sector. College Readiness Programs of Choice may be between 3-4 years and include strategies and supports for students to transition to a four-year college after high school. SB Unified Programs of Choice are:

  • DPHS International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
  • SMHS AAPLE Academy
  • PEAC
  • AVID

Visual And Performing Arts [VAPA] 
Elective Programs

Creativity and appreciation for the arts are important for all students to have a well-rounded education that exposes them to new ideas and perspectives. Arts education boosts school attendance, academic achievement, and college attendance rates; improves school climate; and promotes higher self-esteem and social-emotional development. Santa Barbara Unified is proud of the Art, Theater, Dance, Media Art, and Music Performance elective programs each of our high schools offer. All of the Visual and Performing Arts classes offered are approved for A-G credit. Students can take stand alone art courses, or a sequence of art courses to build their skills in a particular discipline.