Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California on DonorsChoose

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Some students wrote letters from Bilbo after returning home to the Shire, others designed character trading cards, and several students created album cover art and playlists connected to the themes and characters in the story.\r\n\r\nYour generosity helped make this experience possible, and we are very grateful for your support of our classroom and our students' learning.","fullyFundedDate":1771453556368,"projectUrl":"project/the-hobbit/10094260/","projectTitle":"The Hobbit","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Orgill","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10432995"},{"teacherId":818559,"projectId":9665438,"letterContent":"Thank you again for supporting our Chapters and Co (the new name of the Meet-Cute Club!). Your generosity has made such a difference. Because of you, we were able to dive right into The Summer of Broken Rules, and it has been so fun watching students tab their favorite quotes, debate character choices, and actually look forward to reading. For a lot of them, this is the first time reading has felt like community instead of homework.\r\n\r\nOne of the best parts is how completely student-run the club has become. They organized their own bake sale, they're planning a Little Free Library in our community, and they come to meetings with ideas I never would have thought of. I mostly just unlock the door and cheer them on. Seeing teenagers take ownership of something positive and creative has been such a highlight of my year. 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My students are engaged in the reading like never before and that is all thanks to you!\r\n\r\nThis year students will do an author study from their book of choice. They will look at Matt De La Pena's style/craft. 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About this school

Santa Monica High School is an urban public school in Santa Monica, California that is part of Santa Monica - Malibu Unified School District. It serves 2,573 students in grades 9 - 12 with a student/teacher ratio of 18.2:1. Its teachers have had 134 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Supporting this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Grades 9 - 12

2,573 Students

141 Teachers

601 Pico Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90405 View local requests

Direct, proactive support

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Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Santa Monica High School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Ms. Bautista-Nicholas

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Santa Monica High School Demographics

31%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

46%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Santa Monica High School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated May 21, 2026

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.