Dos Pueblos High School received an unprecedented number of student requests to transfer into the school for the 2025-26 school year, bumping total enrollment to 2,238 — the highest of the three high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Of the 276 total students transferring to Dos Pueblos, 129 came from Santa Barbara High School and 147 from San Marcos High School.

Only 53 students transferred from Dos Pueblos — 39 to San Marcos and 14 to Santa Barbara.

The district cut off all transfer requests to Dos Pueblos in April.

As the school year begins Wednesday, Dos Pueblos’ total enrollment stands at 2,238. San Marcos’ is 1,959, and Santa Barbara’s is 1,805. A couple of families who lost their homes in the Pacific Palisades fire and moved to Santa Barbara also transferred into Dos Pueblos, according to the district.

While it is typical for families to request to go to schools other than the ones they live near, the number of departures from Santa Barbara High School this year caught the district’s attention.

A total of 278 students, mostly ninth-graders, living within Santa Barbara High School’s boundaries have transferred to either San Marcos or Dos Pueblos to start the school year.

“My focus is drawing people back in,” Santa Barbara High School Principal Ed Gomez said. “My focus is on building programs and celebrating programs that draw kids in.”

Gomez, hired in June to replace Fred Razo, said he also wants to focus on building relationships with families.

Gomez said a variety of factors exist for why students choose to go to schools outside of where they live.

“We don’t have a one-size-fits-all,” said Gomez, who touted Santa Barbara High’s Visual Arts & Design Academy, AVID, Culinary Arts and athletics.

Dos Pueblos Principal Bill Woodard said his school is capable of handling the increase in students. The school hired an English teacher, and it has enough staffing. Increasing the number of students has practical impacts on facilities, opportunities, and traffic, he said.

“The bigger you are, logistically, problems arise,” Woodard said. “Only one kid can be the starting quarterback. Only one kid can be the lead in the play.”

Each campus has academies that appeal to a diverse student population across Santa Barbara and Goleta. Dos Pueblos’ Engineering Academy has historically been a draw for families. The school’s International Baccalaureate program, media and mock trial programs are standouts at the campus.

Dos Pueblos also had the highest English language arts/literacy and math test scores not only in Santa Barbara but throughout Santa Barbara County, and is one of the highest in the state.

Woodard said the future is bright at all three high schools. He tells parents the same thing.

“All three of our high schools are more alike than we are different,” Woodard said.

San Marcos Principal Dare Holdren said that “transfers are a deeply personal decision.”

“I do believe everybody is just trying to do what is best for their family,” Holdren said.

He boasted about the school’s performing arts program, which he called “the best in the area.” He also noted that San Marcos is building an $11 million Health Academy, which includes training on how to be a dentist, radiologist, phlebotomist and other health professionals. The school is also expanding its wellness center for students and is working with Cottage Health.

Holdren said Santa Barbara High School has gone through some leadership changes recently.

“There does seem to be something going on with the perception,” Holdren said. “I am proud of what we are doing at San Marcos, but in Santa Barbara we have good school. It all boils down to personal decisions.”

Enrollment at San Marcos is “about where we need to be,” Holdren added. “I don’t want to be any bigger.”

In a statement through district spokesman Ed Zuchelli, Superintendent Hilda Maldonado said: “Fluctuations in enrollment happen every year at all schools based on both transfers and where students live. Enrollment tends to go through cycles. For example, DP has been as high as 2,200 students and as low as 1,988 over the past decade. Given the annual cycles we see, there is no current plan to modify the actions we are taking.

“Families make these decisions for a variety of reasons — academic programs, extracurricular offerings, social dynamics or personal logistics — and we respect that every family is seeking the best fit for their student.”