Cienega Union Elementary

Located at 11936 Cienega Road in Hollister, California, Cienega Union Elementary is an active, traditional public school district serving families in a scenic, distant rural setting within the broader San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan region. Operating as a single-school, non-charter district, it offers essential foundational instruction across elementary and middle school grades, spanning from kindergarten through eighth grade. The district provides a rooted, supportive learning environment that caters to the distinct educational needs of its surrounding local community.

With a highly focused enrollment of just 21 students across all nine grade levels, Cienega Union Elementary offers an exceptionally personalized academic experience. The student body—comprising 11 male and 10 female students, with 13 identifying as White, seven as Hispanic, and one as multiracial—benefits from an outstanding level of individualized instruction. Educational delivery is maintained by a dedicated staff equivalent to approximately eight full-time positions, including nearly four full-time equivalent teachers, two instructional aides, and over two support staff members. For researchers, parents, and community members alike, this remarkably low student-to-educator ratio highlights Cienega Union Elementary as a compelling model of close-knit, small-scale rural public education.