Our Community

A private school with a public purpose

At Santa Barbara Middle School, we believe that education should not exist in a vacuum. We are proud to be an independent school, but we don’t see our role as simply serving our own students—we exist to engage with, learn from, and contribute to the broader world around us.

Being a private school with a public purpose means that our campus doesn’t end at our gates. It extends into the neighborhoods, trails, beaches, farms, and organizations of Santa Barbara and beyond. Our students are not only scholars—they are citizens, stewards, and changemakers in training.

Through partnerships with local nonprofits, environmental groups, small businesses, and community leaders, we weave service learning and civic engagement into our curriculum. Students don’t just talk about making a difference—they do it. They volunteer, they advocate, they clean up, they speak out. They learn that their education has power and that that power is best used in the service of others.

We invite our students to ask:
“How can I help?”
“Whose story haven’t I heard yet?”
“What does this community need, and how can I contribute with care and humility?”

Whether they're organizing donation drives, cooking meals for local shelters, restoring native habitats, or engaging in cross-cultural learning on global expeditions, SBMS students discover early that purpose lives where compassion meets action.

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Connected. Aware. Impactful.

This outward-facing mindset is core to who we are. It keeps us grounded. It builds empathy. It shapes the kind of leaders our world truly needs: not just ambitious, but aware. Not just educated, but engaged. Not just accomplished, but committed to the common good.

At SBMS, we’re not just preparing students for high school.
We’re preparing them for life.