Public Schools

Monterey County Office of Education

901 Blanco Circle

P.O. Box 80851

Salinas, CA 93912-0851

831-755-0379

www.monterey.k12.ca.us

Established more than 150 years ago by California’s Constitution, MCOE provides vital resources to support the county’s 24 school districts, two community colleges, and state university.

List of school districts in Monterey County, California:

• Alisal Union Elementary School District
• Bradley Union Elementary School District
• Carmel Unified School District
• Chualar Union Elementary School District
• Gonzales Union Elementary School District
• Gonzales Union High School District
• Graves Elementary School District
• Greenfield Union Elementary School District
• King City Joint Union High School District
• King City Union Elementary School District
• Lagunita Elementary School District
• Mission Union Elementary School District
• Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
• North Monterey County Unified School District
• Pacific Grove Unified School District
• Pacific Unified School District
• Salinas City Elementary School District
• Salinas Union High School District
• San Antonio Union Elementary School District
• San Ardo Union Elementary School District
• San Lucas Union Elementary School District
• Santa Rita Union Elementary School District
• Soledad Unified School District
• Spreckels Union Elementary School District
• Washington Union Elementary School District

Higher Education

Community Colleges

Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 collegebound high-school graduates start their college education this way.

The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.

Liberal Arts Colleges

Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.

Online Learning

Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes— and financial aid is equally available—while the cost to the institution can be much less.

There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.

Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.

Public vs. Private

Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.

 Universities

Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.

Upper Division

Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.

Higher Education

California State University at Monterey Bay

100 Campus Center

Seaside, CA 93955-8001

(831) 582-3000

www.csumb.edu

Ideally situated between the Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay, CSUMB’s 1,387-acre campus brings together promising students and accomplished faculty in the heart of a premiere California location.

Monterey College of Law

100 Col. Durham Street

Seaside, CA 93955

(831)582-4000

www.montereylaw.edu

Founded in 1972 by prominent Monterey-area lawyers and judges, the College of Law is committed to providing a high quality, affordable, and challenging legal education.  Monterey College of Law is a community law school that provides the opportunity to live and work in the California central coast region while attending an evening law school program.