Vista Del Mar Union School District

What Vista Del Mar Union School District does

Vista Del Mar Union School District is a California public TK-8 school district headquartered on a single campus at 9467 San Julian Road in Gaviota. Founded in 1926 as two schools (Orella and Las Cruces) along the Gaviota coastline, the district relocated to its present site in 1992, funded by Chevron as part of an offshore drilling facility project, and today operates as Vista de las Cruces School serving transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. The district is governed by a three-member Board of Trustees (Ryan Harrington, Michael Morando, Kit Boise-Cossart) and currently led by Superintendent/Principal Dr. Bree Valla, with Trevor McDonald as Chief Business Officer and a teaching and support staff of approximately 12.

The district's core offering is a comprehensive whole-child TK-8 education combining core academics with enrichment in Spanish, Physical Education, Visual and Performing Arts, Social Emotional Learning, PBIS, mindfulness, and after-school programming, supplemented by middle-school athletics against other small Santa Ynez Valley schools. It provides universal free breakfast and lunch under California's EC 49501.5 program and operates a District of Choice application process for out-of-district families. The technology stack is entirely third-party and commodity: SchoolBlocks and SchoolFeed for website/content, SchoolWise for the parent portal, ParentSquare for communication, and Class DoJo for classroom messaging.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. As a California public school district, the entity is funded primarily through the state's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), local property taxes, and federal sources, with ancillary program support from affiliated nonprofits Vista Volunteers and Vista Foundation. There is no tuition; the only direct consumer charges are nominal yearbook purchases ($20 for one, $45 for three). The district has no parent company, no venture ownership, and functions as a government state entity with three publicly elected trustees overseeing a single small rural campus.

Name

Vista Del Mar Union School District

Legal name

Vista Del Mar Union School District

Website

https://vdmusd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vista Del Mar Union School District operates a single TK-8 public school, Vista de las Cruces, in Gaviota, California, serving district-resident and out-of-district families with classroom instruction, enrichment, after-school programming, and free meals, funded through California LCFF and property taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based Mental & Behavioral Health Services (EDAJAIAB), Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK)

Keywords

• K-8 public education
• Transitional kindergarten
• Elementary education
• School nutrition services
• After-school programs

Headquarters

HQ city

California City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: Public TK-8 school district funded primarily through state Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), local property taxes, and federal funding. Operates Food Services department providing universal meals to all students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vista Del Mar Union School District operates a single TK-8 public school (Vista de las Cruces) in Gaviota, California, delivering core academic instruction from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade along with enrichment (Spanish, PE/Health, Visual and Performing Arts), free daily breakfast and lunch via the California Universal Meals program, after-school programming, and middle school sports. The district communicates with families through ParentSquare, the SchoolWise parent portal, the SchoolBlocks website, and Class DoJo, and supplements publicly funded programs via the Vista Volunteers parent organization.

Product overview

Vista Del Mar Union School District operates as a single unified TK-8 public school district with one school, Vista de las Cruces. The district's core offering consists of a comprehensive educational program combining core academic instruction (Spanish, Physical Education & Health, Visual and Performing Arts) with enrichment opportunities, after-school programming, and middle school sports. The district also provides free school meals to all students daily. Communication with families is handled through multiple platforms including ParentSquare, the SchoolWise Portal, and Class DoJo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vista de Las Cruces School (TK-8 public education) A TK-8 public school serving students from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade in Gaviota, California. Provides core academic instruction along with enrichment programs in Spanish, Physical Education & Health, and Visual and Performing Arts, plus middle school sports, after-school programming, free meals, and whole-child education with Social Emotional Learning and PBIS frameworks. Targeted at families residing within district boundaries and out-of-district families via the District of Choice program.
• School Nutrition Program Daily free breakfast and lunch program provided to all Vista de las Cruces students under California's Universal Meals program (SY 2022-23 onwards). Meals are made from scratch and offered to every student regardless of income. Operated by the district's Food Services department with a dedicated Child Nutrition Specialist.
• After-School Programming
• Middle School Sports Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Small class sizes for personalized attention

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vista VolunteerscoreOthersNon-profit parent and community organization that supports programs not funded by the school budget. Organizes and supports annual events including Halloween Carnival, Thanksgiving Feast, Spring Olympics, Teacher Appreciation Luncheon, End of Year Picnic. Financially supports school assemblies, field trips, 8th grade trip, Alumni Scholarships, Library fund, and Garden Program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Buellton Union School District: Small TK-8 public school district in Santa Barbara County, also in the Santa Ynez Valley region. Directly comparable scale, grade-band, and community-funded operating model, competing for the same regional enrollment pool via similar District of Choice mechanisms.
• College School District: Small K-8 public school district located in the Santa Ynez Valley. Directly comparable rural California district with similar grade-band, enrollment scale, and small-school operating characteristics.
• Coast Union School District: Small rural K-12 public school district on the California coast (Cambria area). Comparable scale, geographic isolation, and small-school operating model to Vista Del Mar, with similar funding and volunteer-support dynamics.
• Cayucos Elementary School District: Small coastal K-8 public school district on the California central coast. Comparable rural coastal California constraints, enrollment size, and community-supported funding model.

Regional players

• Dunn School: Private boarding and day school in Los Olivos serving grades 6-12. Comparable geographic catchment in the Santa Ynez Valley, offering an independent-school alternative for families in the same regional enrollment pool.
• Midland School: Private boarding high school on the Santa Ynez Valley coast (Los Olives). Comparable coastal/rural educational setting serving families in the broader Gaviota–Santa Ynez corridor, though serving older grades.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vistadelmarunion
• Instagraminstagram.com/vistadelmarunion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vista Del Mar Union School District