Fair Education Santa Barbara

Please join us in making a powerful difference in the life of Pablo (pictured above) and dozens of other young, low-income, high-expectation students right here in Santa Barbara.

We are raising money to fund this fall’s homeschool classes so that Pablo and scores of other students like him can experience an effective homeschool environment and continue to learn and excel.

Our history: When we first met Pablo in early 2020, he was a five year old who did not know how to read basic words like "Cat" or even sound out letters. Pablo was a kind, bright-eyed boy, but the local public school had already failed him and his family. His hardworking, first-generation family didn’t have the resources to pay for homeschool tutoring much less consider private school. But they knew Pablo needed to be liberated from Santa Barbara Unified, where less than half of all students are proficient in English and only 1/3 are proficient in math. And for low-income, first-generation students like Pablo, the Santa Barbara Unified outcomes are much, much worse.

We gathered money together and placed Pablo in a small homeschool group with a seasoned, caring, and talented homeschool teacher. And Voila! He quickly began to excel. Within 3 months, Pablo was at his grade level for reading. Just three months! Pablo is now ABOVE his grade point level. Most importantly, Pablo is nurturing his love of learning.

On the back of Pablo’s inspiring success, other similarly situated parents have reached out to us. Our criteria are simple: we support low-income families with high expectations for themselves and their children. In exchange for a homeschool scholarship, the families are required to read, write and/or do math homework with their children or find another trusted adult to do so. We help fund exceptional homeschool teachers, the family provides the student and the moxie.

All of the monies received are paid out in scholarships that themselves support effective, experienced homeschool teachers. Since Pablo’s initial scholarship in 2020, we have funded a total of 98 individual scholarships, the vast majority of which went to low-income, first-generation families. Like Pablo, nearly each of these students rose to perform at or above their respective grade point averages in reading, writing, and math. These students also benefited from an effective homeschool curriculum and a strengthening bond with their families.

Will you help us continue this tradition of helping young students like Pablo to reach their full educational potential? Without your support, low-income, first-generation students like Pablo would remain trapped in Santa Barbara’s failed public education system. With your help, they have a real shot at an educated, productive and meaningful future.