In Silicon Valley, or Santa Clara County, our school district boundaries and town or city borders don’t line up like they do in most parts of the U.S. Put simply, they often are not the same.
School district boundaries and city boundary examples
San Jose is a large city with one million residents and a number of districts (think large neighborhoods). The San Jose unified School District, which includes all grades K – 12, does cover a large portion of the city, but certainly not all. There are many districts within the city or which cover parts of it, such as the Berryessa Union School District, which benefits students in parts of north San Jose.
But other pockets of San Jose are within the boundaries of Santa Clara Unified School District, Cupertino Union SD, Campbell Union SD, Morgan Hill SD, and more!
In my town of Los Gatos, for example, the elementary and middle school districts include:
- Los Gatos Union School District (covers much of Los Gatos, most of Monte Sereno, and some unincorporated or county areas)
- Union School District (attendance areas are mostly in San Jose or Los Gatos, but also some unincorporated areas)
- Campbell Union School (serves most of Campbell but also parts of Saratoga, San Jose, and Los Gatos)
The city of Saratoga is served by Saratoga Schools, Campbell, Cupertino, and Los Gatos in places.
So if you are thinking of moving to the Santa Clara Valley, it’s a good idea to get a school district boundaries map in hand. Even if you don’t have kids, it’s important to understand that public schools drive home values – so it should matter to you whether or not you have children!
