Amy Wooliever, Superintendent
The La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District serves the southwest portion of San Mateo County, known as the "South Coast." While there are no incorporated towns on the South Coast and you won’t find the South Coast on any map, there is a distinct personality, attitude and way of life adopted by the people who live here. Most students live in the small towns of La Honda, Pescadero, Loma Mar and San Gregorio. Our school population is the smallest of the county's unified districts, though geographically our district is the largest. LHPUSD operates three schools, and has programs for preschool age through high school. The District is governed by a Board of Trustees, employs 43 people, and has an annual operating budget of over $4 million.
Pescadero has always been and continues to be a hub of activity and commerce on the South Coast with a rich, local history. Located on the original Rancho Pescadero Mexican land grant, the opportunity provided by fertile soil and plentiful waters attracted settlers and by 1869, Pescadero was an established fishing and farming village with a store, post office, hotel and schoolhouse.
The small town of La Honda is 15 miles of winding, mountainous roads away from Pescadero. Tucked in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, La Honda is beautiful, folksy, neighborly and small. A history of ranching, farming and logging which is now evolving into a mix of artists, writers, children, retirees and Silicon Valley commuters bound together by their love of nature.
Pescadero High School first opened 1922 in a tall white structure in the center of town. In 1925, a new high school was built on the main residential road in town-North Street. This small campus, nestled within a mix of residential and farming neighbors operated until a new, more modern facility was built on a tract of farm land donated by a local family, in 1960 and is the present day high school.
La Honda, San Gregorio, Pescadero and the surrounding areas were served in the early days by a series of small one-room schoolhouses. The La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District was formed in 1965 and now operates three sites- La Honda Elementary, Pescadero Elementary and Middle School and Pescadero High School.
La Honda and Pescadero schools draw from an area of over 160 square miles from coastal frontage to the ridge tops of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The schools are intricately woven into the fabric of the South Coast community and play important roles. Serving as the center of education, athletic and cultural events, emergency services, entertainment and community “play space “, our schools are an indicator of the health and future of the area they serve.
The La Honda-Pescadero District is a model for other small school districts. Through passage of a parcel tax to help fund schools (2005), a bond measure to fund school renovation and construction (2006), and significant donations from local educational foundations and community members, we have demonstrated we are a community that works together and puts children first.
Our District is distinguished by its small classes, respect for diversity, and attention to individual student needs. Our students enjoy the personal attention that is possible in a small school. Our teachers hold high expectations and provide opportunities for students to learn through exploration of the spectacular outdoor environment that surrounds us. Other schools take field trips to our district...our students enjoy it every day.
District News
- Students head south to shoot the moon
- Vikings ready to host basketball tourneys
- Volunteers prep school for tourney
- Art alive and well in South Coast schools
- South Coast students become Panthers
- Food Lab blends learning and lunch
- LHPUSD Offering Summer Programs
- Teenage trustee learns the ropes of school board
- Saturday School helps students catch up
- La Honda program sends books to Africa
- Pescadero:Tiny high school more like big family
- Leviathan bones land at local school