Alpha Santa Barbara is open and enrolling.
Join us for an info session at our campus on 27 E Cota St, conveniently located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, less than a block from State Street, and see firsthand why Alpha is ranked among the best private schools thanks to its groundbreaking learning model.
When choosing a school, nothing matters more than hearing from families just like yours.
These Santa Barbara parents share how their children gained confidence, learned faster, and rediscovered their love of school.
Explore our showcases to tour the Alpha Santa Barbara campus, and enjoy our camps and afterschool programs offering exciting, hands-on experiences for kids.
Alpha Santa Barbara
Dr. Tasha Arnold is a dynamic educational leader with extensive experience in American and international schools across the US, Europe, and Asia. She has spent her career transforming schools, implementing innovative learning models, and fostering personalized educational experiences that empower students to reach their highest potential. She has taught at the Elementary, Middle, and High School levels, specializing in IB/AP Sciences and Learning Support across various curriculums (USA, UK, IB, and AP).
I joined Alpha Schools because I believe in redefining education. Personalization, hands-on learning, and skill development are the pillars of a truly impactful education. Alpha’s approach aligns with my vision of ensuring every child thrives academically, socially, and emotionally in a way that is uniquely suited to them.
Michael Marino is an attorney, law professor, and longtime Santa Barbara community member whose career has been defined by a commitment to service and building meaningful relationships. A New York City native, Michael has called Santa Barbara home for over a decade, where he has served as Board President of Cold Spring School District – California’s highest-performing elementary school district – for the past eight years. That work sparked a deep passion for education and a firsthand understanding of what families need to feel supported and heard. At Alpha, Michael brings his legal educator background, his knowledge of how great schools operate, and his genuine love for this community to help families thrive at every stage of their child’s journey.
My role is to advocate for your family, represent your child, and make sure every parent feels connected to something bigger - a school that doesn't just exist in Santa Barbara, but belongs to it.
Drew is a proven coach who develops confident, driven leaders through intentional mentorship and real-world challenges. With experience across public high schools, universities, and The College Board, he’s guided students through SAT prep, AP coursework, college applications, and post-grad planning. At Alpha, he sets a championship-level standard while designing life skills programs that stick—from financial literacy workshops to a WWII history trip to France—ensuring students grow into purposeful, prepared young adults ready to lead in any arena.
At Alpha, we build a culture where students are challenged to rise, supported to grow, and equipped with the mindset and skills to lead with purpose and thrive in the real world.
Derek is thrilled to join Alpha Santa Barbara, bringing 17 years of innovative teaching. He created an Honors Astrophysics course, launching students to top engineering schools, and coached young minds at Synthesis School through gamified challenges, sparking curiosity. As a certified sailing captain, he sailed his family across oceans, learning resilience and problem-solving—skills he instills in students. At Alpha, he fosters joy in learning, academic excellence, and life skills, guiding kids beyond their comfort zones to extraordinary futures with adventure and inspiration.
I dive into Alpha’s mission, crafting dynamic challenges and personalized mentorship that fuel students’ joy, accelerate learning, and equip them with skills to conquer any challenge.
Whitney Snow is excited to join the Alpha Santa Barbara team. She brings over 2 decades of experience working with young people, ages 2-18, to Alpha. With a background in musical theatre performance, theatre education, yoga, social work, and youth grief counseling, Whitney brings a unique set of skills and experience to the Santa Barbara campus. Whitney loves to challenge young people while offering empathetic support. At Alpha, she blends mindfulness, compassion, and creativity to inspire growth, resilience, and positive change in every young person.
When you move through the world with optimism and authenticity, you remind the world that joy is a kind of courage. At Alpha, I strive to instill these qualities in each of our students so they can become courageous and joyful leaders.
Kele is a Santa Barbara native who’s proud to call this community home. As Alpha’s Campus Coordinator, he’s passionate about helping students grow, supporting guides, and keeping things running smoothly around campus. Before joining Alpha, Kele worked with several startups in sustainable aquaculture and finance technology, where he learned the importance of strong organization, clear communication, and building a positive culture from the ground up. He brings that same focus and energy to his role at Alpha, helping create a productive environment.
“At Alpha School, I hope to help create a culture where students believe in themselves, take ownership of their learning, and aren’t afraid to try something difficult. If we can teach kids how to think, not just what to think, we’re setting them up for success far beyond the classroom.”
Looking for more stories to view and share?
Yes, Alpha Santa Barbara is open and enrolling for K-12. Since we launched in Fall 2025, we’ve been actively growing. So, if you’d like to tour the campus or connect with a current family, we’d love to show you around.
We explored many spaces across Santa Barbara, and this one stood out. It offers the ideal blend of flexibility, safety, design potential, and proximity to key hubs like downtown, the waterfront, and Highway 101—making it easily accessible from every part of the city. Its central location positions Alpha Santa Barbara as the hub for ambitious students from Montecito, Goleta, Ventura, Ojai, and beyond
Each Alpha student follows a customized learning path built with adaptive apps that adjust in real time to their progress. Our Santa Barbara students are mastering core subjects at their own pace—with no gaps, no burnout, and no unnecessary review.
Outside of academics, Guides work 1:1 with students to set goals and choose workshops—from marine ecology to entrepreneurship. These life skill workshops are essential for preparing students to lead with confidence, think critically, and thrive in the real world.
At Alpha Santa Barbara, students spend about two hours a day on their computers for academics. The rest of the day is filled with life skill workshops, hands-on projects, creative work, time outdoors, and face-to-face collaboration with peers and Guides. We believe technology is a powerful tool for learning, but it’s only one part of a much bigger, well-rounded day.
Alpha Santa Barbara is designed to feel like part of the city, not separate from it. Our workshops and projects tap directly into Santa Barbara’s strengths—students will learn entrepreneurship by working with local founders, explore creativity through partnerships with artists and designers, or study marine ecology right on the Channel Islands. We want students to see their city as an extension of their classroom, building real skills while connecting with the creative, entrepreneurial, and environmental spirit that makes Santa Barbara unique.
The daily schedule at Alpha runs from 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM. Students arrive for morning drop-off at 8:15–8:30 AM, and the day finishes with afternoon pick-up between 3:30–4:00 PM.
You can find more information on what an Alpha day looks like in the Info Packet linked above.
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Alpha Summer is the best way for families to try Alpha. One week is all it takes to know if Alpha is right for your family.