Lucky Learners
California's finest students choose to pursue their dreams here in San Luis Obispo. And it's no wonder why. With the city's hometown feel, friendly neighbors and abundant activities, San Luis Obispo has become known by many students as a home away from home. Their is no better inspiration than in the hills of Poly Canyon or on a grassy knoll near a calming creek.
San Luis Obispo's superior educational institutions and facilities include San Luis Coastal Unified School District for K-12, Cuesta Community College and California Polytechnic State University. All are progressive, safe and boast excellent faculty and programs.
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is a nationally ranked, four-year, comprehensive public university. Cal Poly is world-renowned by its distinctive "learn by doing" educational philosophy, which guides the instruction of more than 18,000 students. Cal Poly is routinely ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the finest technical universities in the West.
Long respected for its agricultural programs, it now has the largest schools of engineering and architecture in the West. The Performing Arts Center on campus hosts theatrical and musical productions by local, regional and touring performers. A self-guided tour of the campus can include a hike in Poly Canyon (where you can view experimental structures built by architecture students), a stop at the Shakespeare Press Museum, a visit to the hors and dairy units and a stroll through the ornamental horticulture greenhouses. Campus maps are available at the student union and the admissions office. Guided walking tours of the campus are also offered. Additional information is available on its website, www.calpoly.edu.
Cuesta College is located at the heart of scenic San Luis Obispo County, and is highly regarded throughout the state for its excellent educational programs, responsive student services and exceptional faculty and staff. In 1996 the college received a Silver Medal Eureka Award for Quality and Service Excellence. Cuesta has 151 full-time and 324 part-time faculty, 61 degree programs and 70 cerificate programs. Additional information is available on its website, www.cuesta.edu.
San Luis Coastal Unified School District (SLCUSD) includes 15 schools and serves approximately 7,400 students. Several schools have been honored as Blue Ribbon Schools and California Distinguished Schools. Diana Barnhart, Los Osos Middle School science teacher, was selected as California Teacher-of-the-Year. Additional information about these prestigious awards and our District is available on its website www.slcusd.org.
Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School is located in the heart of San Luis Obispo. Mission College Prep, as locals call it, creates a culture of care and accountability in partnership with families to form women and men of scholarship, inspiration, and leadership in service to deeper life with God and deeper life with one another. The high school is a Catholic School in the Diocese of Monterey school system, and is one of four Dioceses of Monterey Catholic Schools located in San Luis Obispo County. The other three are grammar schools, grades pre-school through eighth grade (Old Mission School, St. Rose and St. Patrick's). The Mission College Prep high school is a landmark of sorts in San Luis Obispo as it has been open for 100 years. And the high school has had a college acceptance rate of 99 percent over the last 10 years. Find additional information is available at www.missionprep.org.
Laurus College is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to offer Certificate programs. The San Luis Obispo-based college provides a comprehensive training approach which enables students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real life situations. The Laurus System incorporates "real world" projects with the students' ongoing lesson plans. The mission of Laurus College is “to provide every student with a quality education and a quality experience” that prepares them for success in the global marketplace. Laurus College provides a comprehensive training approach in fields such as IT Service, 3D Animation, Business, Medical Billing, Web Design, and Computer Networking. For more information, visit www.lauruscollege.com. | 
