1544 W Valerio St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Our son has finished first grade and attended Kindergarten here as well. The teachers and staff are very engaged and led by a Principle Binkley who's conviction for education and character is apparent in all she does. It is a shame greatschools.com compiles test scores (not a great indicator of learning taking place) and spits out a number rating on a ten scale that is often the only thing most people may see. Harding is located in the best neighborhood is Santa Barbara yet many students attend schools outside of the district. The International Baccalaureate program provides standards and guidelines for education and child development that far exceed public school standards. Send your child here if you want a learning environment to build a confident thinker and student capable of independent action. If you want a child that satisfies generic tests scores this school may have too much to offer for you!If you have read this far and are curious as to why rating schools with a number based on standardized testing may be problematic check out the article in Medium addressing this issue medium.com/s/story/the-problem-with-great-schools-69b4ef4f5079

The Core Knowledge program here is unquestionably the best public junior high school experience available in Santa Barbara. Passionate teachers offer an academically challenging, content-rich curriculum. But even better---the school as a whole, in and out of the Core Knowledge program, has a wonderful sense of community. Physically, the cleanest school in all of SB--the floors sparkle!

In three days, my son will graduate from this school and it couldn't be sooner. Yes, some students do thrive here, but most fall through the cracks. There is no sense of community and the parents who run the school explain what it means to be a "Royal." What a joke of a school and our other child chose DP after witnessing the dysfunction of SMHS. Stay away!