County directory · California · 2026–27
School districts in Monterey County, CA
Monterey County has 25 regular public school districts, enrolling 70,379 students in 2024–25. The largest is Salinas Union High (15,813 students, 22% of the county), followed by Monterey Peninsula Unified and Salinas City Elementary. 23 of the 25 offer kindergarten. California's kindergarten cutoff: turn 5 by September 1.
The 25 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas Union High 431 West Alisal St., Salinas | 7–12 | 12 | 15,813 | — | (831) 796-7000 |
| Monterey Peninsula Unified 700 Pacific St., Monterey | K–12 | 20 | 9,350 | 951 | (831) 645-1200 |
| Salinas City Elementary 840 South Main St., Salinas | K–6 | 15 | 8,236 | 1,489 | (831) 753-5600 |
| Alisal Union 155 Bardin Rd., Salinas | K–6 | 13 | 7,303 | 1,287 | (831) 753-5700 |
| Soledad Unified 1261 Metz Rd., Soledad | K–12 | 10 | 4,744 | 417 | (831) 678-3987 |
| North Monterey County Unified 13994 Castroville Blvd., Castroville | K–12 | 8 | 4,290 | 414 | (831) 633-3343 |
| Greenfield Union Elementary 493 El Camino Real, Greenfield | K–8 | 5 | 3,322 | 463 | (831) 674-2840 |
| Santa Rita Union Elementary 57 Russell Rd., Salinas | K–8 | 7 | 3,088 | 375 | (831) 443-7200 |
| South Monterey County Joint Union High 800 Broadway St., King City also serves San Benito County | 9–12 | 4 | 2,666 | — | (831) 385-0606 |
| King City Union 104 South Vanderhurst Ave., King City | K–8 | 6 | 2,554 | 387 | (831) 385-2940 |
| Carmel Unified 4380 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel | K–12 | 9 | 2,157 | 169 | (831) 624-1546 |
| Gonzales Unified 600 Elko St., Gonzales | K–12 | 3 | 1,962 | 147 | (831) 675-0100 |
| Pacific Grove Unified 435 Hillcrest Ave., Pacific Grove | K–12 | 5 | 1,749 | 167 | (831) 646-6520 |
| Spreckels Union Elementary 130 Railroad Ave., Spreckels | K–8 | 2 | 850 | 105 | (831) 455-2550 |
| Washington Union Elementary 43 San Benancio Rd., Salinas | K–8 | 4 | 756 | 107 | (831) 484-2611 |
| Monterey County Office of Education 901 Blanco Cir., Salinas | K–12 | 5 | 733 | 43 | (831) 755-0300 |
| Chualar Union 24285 Lincoln St., Chualar | K–8 | 1 | 234 | 28 | (831) 679-2504 |
| San Antonio Union Elementary 67550 Lockwood/Jolon Rd., Lockwood | K–8 | 1 | 134 | 17 | (831) 385-3051 |
| Mission Union Elementary 36825 Foothill Rd., Soledad | K–8 | 1 | 130 | 15 | (831) 678-3524 |
| San Ardo Union Elementary 62428 Center St., San Ardo | K–8 | 1 | 76 | 15 | (831) 627-2520 |
| San Lucas Union Elementary 53675 San Benito St., San Lucas | K–8 | 1 | 72 | 5 | (831) 382-4426 |
| Lagunita Elementary 975 San Juan Grade Rd., Salinas | K–5 | 1 | 62 | 10 | (831) 449-2800 |
| Bradley Union Elementary 65600 Dixie St., Bradley | K–8 | 1 | 54 | 8 | (805) 472-2310 |
| Graves Elementary 15 McFadden Rd., Salinas | K–8 | 1 | 32 | 1 | (831) 422-6392 |
| Big Sur Unified 69325 Highway 1, Big Sur | K–12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | (805) 927-4507 |
Monterey County at a glance
Together the 25 districts run 137 schools from offices in 16 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Big Sur Unified, with 12 students; the median Monterey County district has 1,749. By grade span: 12 K–8, 8 K–12, 2 K–6, 1 7–12, 1 9–12 and 1 K–5. Without kindergarten: Salinas Union High (7–12) and South Monterey County Joint Union High (9–12).
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 23 districts that report a K grade: 6,621 children. The biggest kindergarten was Salinas City Elementary's, with 1,489; Alisal Union had 1,287, and the smallest, Big Sur Unified, had 1.
Monterey County holds 25 of California's 987 regular districts (2.5%) and 1.4% of its 5,201,297 public school students, ranking 12th of 58 counties by number of districts and 17th by enrollment. By size, 4 enroll 5,000 or more, 9 enroll 1,000 to 4,999 and 12 have fewer than 1,000 students, and the average school here has about 514 students.
One district reaches past the county line: South Monterey County Joint Union High (into San Benito County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 1 of Monterey County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
Salinas Union High · Monterey Peninsula Unified · Salinas City Elementary · Alisal Union · Soledad Unified · North Monterey County Unified · Greenfield Union Elementary · Santa Rita Union Elementary · South Monterey County Joint Union High · King City Union · Carmel Unified · Gonzales Unified · Pacific Grove Unified · Spreckels Union Elementary · Washington Union Elementary · Monterey County Office of Education · Chualar Union · San Antonio Union Elementary · Mission Union Elementary · San Ardo Union Elementary · San Lucas Union Elementary · Lagunita Elementary · Bradley Union Elementary · Graves Elementary · Big Sur Unified
What grade will my child be in?
More in California
Every California district by county · California kindergarten cutoff
More California county directories: Merced County (21) · San Mateo County (24) · Santa Barbara County (21) · Santa Cruz County (13) · Siskiyou County (26) · Sonoma County (41)