Impact on Students & Programs

We understand the changes ahead may feel very uncertain, especially since you may still be getting to know our school communities. The unknowns around Ocean Shore School (OSS) and other schools make this a challenging time for everyone and you’re not alone. We share your concerns and are working hard to get clarity.

One thing remains constant: our community. Ocean Shore is built on strong relationships and the weeks since the January 11, 2025 proposal to close OSS have only reinforced how much we care for one another. We will welcome you with open arms, and no matter the challenges, our values and people remain at the heart of our school. 

Although we hope we can reverse the district’s resolution to close the Ocean Shore campus, our teachers and families are deeply committed to making the transition to a K-5 school (at the Sunset Ridge campus) as smooth as possible and preserving key elements that make Ocean Shore special – our experiential learning program, award-winning Oceans 411 marine conservation program, cross-grade project POD Days, and field trips. We have weathered many changes over our 50-year history, but have adapted and always emerged stronger. If this is the kind of education you want for your child, we recommend you put Ocean Shore as one of your top choices on your kindergarten lottery card.

If you have additional questions, you can email the Ocean Shore Parent-Teacher Organization Presidents.

The California Department of Education states that two educational institutions in the same location are considered separate schools if they have distinct administrators, separate statutory authority, different staffing structures, schedules, and physical entrances.

There is confusion regarding the actual capacity of Sunset Ridge, with numbers ranging from 539 (according to the King Report) to 733 (as stated in the January 22, 2025 Resolution). Can Ocean Shore and Sunset Ridge truly co-locate without sharing classrooms? Furthermore, if sharing classrooms and teachers is necessary to maximize staffing efficiency, as the district has suggested in its transition plan, wouldn’t this arrangement more closely resemble a merger of the two schools?

Although we are hopeful that our multi-prong efforts will be successful in pushing off any relocation and reconfiguration efforts the district has intended for the 2025-2026 school year, we are planning for a smooth transition in any case. 

Ocean Shore School (previously the Alternative School) has weathered many changes over our 50-year history. We have proven to be resilient and adaptable, always emerging stronger. Our teachers and families are forming a task force focused on making the transition to a K-5 school as smooth as possible and preserving key elements that make Ocean Shore special – our experiential learning program, award-winning Oceans 411 marine conservation program, cross-grade project POD Days, and field trips.

At the budget review meeting on February 3, 2025, and during school tours at Sunset Ridge the same week, the district indicated that to meet staffing efficiency goals, Ocean Shore and Sunset Ridge will likely need to share teachers and classrooms. A “visionary team,” made up of staff and teachers from both schools, along with a “transition planning task force” of parents assembled by the district, will work on integrating the strengths of each school’s program. The key question that remains is how each school will maintain its “unique identity” and distinct programs—something we hope to clarify soon.

In the midst of all the changes, one thing remains constant – our community. We will carry the heart and soul of Ocean Shore forward. All of us are part of this together.

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, Cabrillo K-8 will be Pacifica’s only public middle school besides Ingrid B. Lacy (grades 6-8). When your child enters 5th grade, you can make a transfer request for Cabrillo. For the 2025-26 school year, according to the district’s transition plan, there will 65 spots each for 6th, 7th and 8th grades at Cabrillo. To transfer to Cabrillo, applications for the waitlist will be available on the district’s website on March 10, 2025 at 8am.

For more information, please contact the district office. Alternatively, you may consider enrolling your child in nearby private middle schools.

Although we are hopeful that our wide-ranging efforts to delay the district’s planned relocation and reconfiguration for the 2025-2026 school year will be successful, our teachers and families will actively work towards a smooth transition.

If your child is currently in Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, or 4th grade at Ocean Shore School, your child will remain enrolled at Ocean Shore School. However, your child will no longer attend class at the Ocean Shore campus (411 Oceana Boulevard). Instead, they will attend classes at 340 Inverness Drive (on the Sunset Ridge campus). Details about classroom assignments, leadership, or budget remain unclear.

If your child is currently enrolled in 5th, 6th, or 7th grades at Ocean Shore or Vallemar, your child will be placed at Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School (IBL) for the next school year. Your child won’t be part of Ocean Shore or Vallemar anymore. IBL will incorporate these students into their general school population. If your child wants to transfer to Cabrillo K-8, we anticipate the district will hold a special lottery. (Details unknown at this point.)

Reduced K-8 access. K-8 seats in middle school will drop from 43% to 17%, excluding many families from the K-8 model. This reduces choice for families.

Demographic imbalance. Sunset Ridge (29% Asian, source: GreatSchools) and Ocean Shore (24% Asian) have higher Asian student populations than Cabrillo (9%). State law (Assembly Bill 1912) and subsequent guidance from Attorney General Rob Bonta strongly emphasize the necessity of equity impact analyses before school closures. The district has yet to produce such an analysis.

Under the resolution, SDC programs are being reorganized into two elementary sites (Ortega and Sunset Ridge) and grades 6-8 at Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School (IBL). The district has not provided detailed plans or safety assessments, leaving many SDC families in the dark about logistics and support.