Vista De Las Cruces School in Gaviota, California on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Vista De Las Cruces School","outOfStateSupporters":14.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9711738,"projectId":9606148,"letterContent":"I want to extend my sincere thanks for your support and providing new books for my middle grade students. While I have been a teacher for over 15 years, I have only been a middle school teacher for three. Coming into a new school and new grade level has been challenging enough, but not having interesting and engaging literature for my students has been difficult, especially given how hard it is to grab and maintain young people's interest with a book. With your help, I have been able to continue to improve the reading material available for my students. \r\n\r\nJust today I finally passed out new books for partners to read for their new reading assignment. I can not express how happy it made me to hear their delight and excitement when I showed them their new books. Having students say things like, \"Oh that looks so good!\" and \"I heard that is a good book. I can't wait to read it!\" is like music to my ears. They read the first couple of chapters today and I got lots of positive reviews already. \r\n\r\nThank you so, so much. It means so much to me, but more importantly, it is helping the young people in my class have books they genuinely look forward to reading.","fullyFundedDate":1755721469955,"projectUrl":"project/new-books-for-my-middle-schoolers/9606148/","projectTitle":"New Books for My Middle Schoolers!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Kieval","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9711738"},{"teacherId":9889741,"projectId":9256638,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our classroom project! Because of you, our TK/Kindergarten students are now fully immersed in imaginative play with our new play kitchen materials and they absolutely love them!\r\n\r\nThe day the new kitchen items arrived was unforgettable. The student's were so excited as they noticed and explored the new pots, pans, play food and utensils waiting for them. The students immediately gathered around to see what had arrived in the play kitchen. From that moment on, our dramatic play area transformed into a bustling kitchen where students take turns being chefs, customers, and servers. It has sparked their creativity and encouraged collaboration in such natural and joyful ways.\r\n\r\nOne specific moment that stands out happened during our unit on \"Community Helpers.\" The students used the kitchen to create their own classroom café. They made menus, took orders, and even \"cooked\" meals for each other. It was incredible to see their language development, social-emotional skills, and even early literacy in action through play.\r\n\r\nMoving forward, we plan to connect our kitchen play to a storytelling and writing project. Students will be creating short stories about their café experiences, drawing pictures of their favorite meals to \"serve,\" and learning new vocabulary related to food and restaurants. It's a wonderful blend of play and learning, and it wouldn't be possible without your support.\r\n\r\nThank you again for making such a meaningful impact in our classroom. You've helped make learning fun, engaging, and unforgettable for our young learners!","fullyFundedDate":1744901516700,"projectUrl":"project/whiskful-thinking-our-play-kitchen-wish/9256638/","projectTitle":"Whiskful Thinking: Our Play Kitchen Wishlist","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jackie","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9889741"},{"teacherId":9884671,"projectId":9022840,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the books for our classroom! My students got immersed in the stories of Wayside School so much that I often caught them reading under the table. The books were checked out of classroom library and students loved taking them home and sharing with their siblings!\r\n\r\nOur whole class read The One and Only Ivan, and fell in love with the deep and empathetic animals. The books helped my class build empathy for all living creatures, and we used them to write comparison essays between the book and the movie adaptation! Students loved Ivan's world so much they are devouring the next books in the series.","fullyFundedDate":1736266809846,"projectUrl":"project/be-careful-these-books-might-ignite-you/9022840/","projectTitle":"Be Careful! These Books Might Ignite Your Love of Reading!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Emily","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9884671"},{"teacherId":9687745,"projectId":9087502,"letterContent":"We cannot thank you enough! The students and myself are so grateful that others are willing to support our need to read! There is so much excitement in the classroom when the new books arrive, which wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you. We even had to create a fair system for who gets to read the new books first!\r\n\r\nWe spend a lot of our time doing \"DEAR\" (Drop Everything And Read) and the books you donated add to this special time. Students get to develop their own love for reading and can really find out which genres or authors they enjoy. With new books, they are exposed to even more literature, pushing them on their reading journey.","fullyFundedDate":1738339144517,"projectUrl":"project/personalizing-our-classroom-library/9087502/","projectTitle":"Personalizing Our Classroom Library","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Coffin","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9687745"},{"teacherId":9889741,"projectId":9040685,"letterContent":"On behalf of our entire kindergarten class, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your generous donation that allowed us to purchase new books for our classroom library.\r\n\r\nThe excitement on the children's faces when they saw the new books was absolutely priceless. They dove right in—exploring colorful pages, discovering new stories, and falling in love with reading and story time. It's been truly magical to see their enthusiasm grow each day as they reach for another book, eager to learn and imagine.\r\n\r\nYour kindness has made a real difference. These books have not only brightened our shelves, but they've also sparked curiosity, joy, and a love for learning in the hearts of our students. We are so grateful for your support and generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1736618522822,"projectUrl":"project/story-time/9040685/","projectTitle":"Story Time!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Jackie","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9889741"},{"teacherId":9687745,"projectId":8956062,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your donation! My students have thoroughly enjoyed them so far and I know there are so many more students who will enjoy them as well. Reading is so important for students and many of the class set books provided by mom school the students have either read before or are too difficult for my class. \r\nBy giving them access to book they are interested and excited to read makes them feel motived within their book clubs. They are excited to read with their groups every day. We continue to talk about these books and I often reference them in lessons with the students. This helps to expand our connections together and helps them to see how we use books to learn many things.","fullyFundedDate":1733936043860,"projectUrl":"project/literature-circles-for-the-love-of-readi/8956062/","projectTitle":"Literature Circles for the Love of Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Coffin","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9687745"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_40034","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":61,"numTeachers":6,"percentFrplEligible":41,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":47,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":39,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"10.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_DISTANT"},"inStateSupporters":85.2,"schoolId":40034,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Vista De Las Cruces School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Vista De Las Cruces School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/vista-del-mar-union-school-district/vista-de-las-cruces-school/40034"}

About this school

Vista De Las Cruces School is a rural public school in Gaviota, California that is part of Vista Del Mar Union School District. It serves 61 students in grades Pre-K - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 10.2:1. Its teachers have had 14 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Grades Pre-K - 8

61 Students

6 Teachers

9467 San Julian Rd

Gaviota, CA 93117 View local requests

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

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

Vista De Las Cruces School Teachers on DonorsChoose

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Vista De Las Cruces School Demographics

41%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

39%

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.

Vista De Las Cruces School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

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.