California schools welcome new students as Santa Maria high schools start year and Mission Bay Elementary opens

In Santa Maria, California, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District began the 2026‑27 school year on Aug. 13 across its four campuses. Pioneer Valley High School hosted a "Link Crew Freshmen Orientation" for more than 800 ninth‑graders, featuring tours, team‑building activities and distribution of class schedules.

In San Francisco, Mission Bay Elementary School opened on Aug. 6, marking the first new public school in the city in two decades. The ribbon‑cutting ceremony was attended by SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su and Mayor Daniel Lurie. The four‑story campus will initially serve pre‑kindergarten and kindergarten students starting Aug. 17, with plans to expand to fifth grade. Construction cost $95.39 million, funded by the 2016 school bond, and the school is part of the district’s Mission Bay Learning Hub.

Both events reflect rapid population growth in California’s Central Coast and Bay Area neighborhoods and the districts’ efforts to accommodate expanding student bodies.