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Santa Rosa City Schools - Our Story

Santa Rosa City Schools was founded in 1858 with 50 students. Today, we welcome nearly 16,000 students to our 24 schools, including nine elementary schools, five middle schools, five high schools, and one continuation high school. We also have four dependent charter schools, including French and Spanish immersion schools, a K-8 charter school for the arts, and a
nationally recognized accelerated charter school.

In October 2017, our district lost an elementary school and a high school farm to deadly wildfires that swept through Northern California. The fires also destroyed the homes of 800 students and 90 staff members. This devastating loss will shape the needs of our community for years to come.

Our community is diverse. Students and families speak 49 languages, with the majority speaking English and/or Spanish. We have 2,600 English language learners. Our schools all have bilingual family engagement facilitators, to help our families make connections. We value diversity and have been recognized statewide for our Equity and Social Justice Initiative. That
initiative has been embraced by our 1,600 teachers and staff, who have adopted the district’s motto of “Every Student, Every Possibility, No Matter What.”

Learning begins with healthy students and families. We partner with community organizations to provide services that go beyond academics, such as parent education, health services, and counseling. After the wildfires, we worked with community partners to open an Integrated Wellness Center, which continues to provide free counseling and referrals, academic support
and school nurse services to any area families. 

The mission of our schools is to provide active, involved learning to prepare each of our students for college and career. Equity and access guide our teaching and learning. When our students reach high school, their choices include work-based learning opportunities, 17 Career Technical Education programs, magnet programs that partner with our local junior college and
university, an award-winning high school arts program, and an International Baccalaureate Program. College & Career centers and counselors are available in each high school, providing guidance as students find their path. After more than 160 years, Santa Rosa City Schools continues to value its position in this community, entrusted with providing our next generation the tools they need lead us into the future.

Updated 04/2019