Principal's Message

Principal Jennifer Foster

Jennifer Foster has worked in Santa Barbara Unified since 2004. After spending most of her career as an educator in high school, she came to La Colina in 2016. In 2019, Mrs. Foster became only the fourth principal at La Colina since the school’s opening in 1959. Mrs. Foster loves working with junior high students and families to prepare them for success in high school and beyond!

Mrs. Foster was born in Santa Barbara and grew up in Lompoc, California, the daughter of two educators. She attended UC Santa Barbara where she earned a Bachelor's degree in History as well as a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Studies and a Masters degree in Education. Mrs. Foster was a high school history and AVID teacher, Activities Director and Vice Principal in the Bay Area where she also earned a Masters degree in Administration and Supervision from San Jose State University. In 2004, Mrs. Foster was hired as Assistant Principal at San Marcos High School. 

Mrs. Foster is a parent of three children, including two La Colina alumni and one current student! She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and cooking. 

La Colina

La Colina Junior High School was constructed on a 29-acre site and opened in September 1959. Originally operated as a three-year school, La Colina became a two-year junior high in 1981. La Colina is set back from Foothill Road, near the San Marcos Pass highway, with views of the mountains and the ocean.

The staff includes over 50 regular education teachers, four special education teachers, three counselors, one school psychologist, one health assistant, one librarian, one library assistant, and three full-time administrators. Support staff includes office personnel, grounds and building maintenance staff, food service workers and paraeducators who support students with IEPs and Emergent Multilingual students.

Annually, La Colina Junior High is one of the highest achieving middle schools in the state. It has consistently exceeded the state indicators of academic achievement and progress. The vision of the school is to provide a rigorous standards-based instructional program that is based on a culture of equity and access including the 3R’s (relevance, rigor and relationships), and promotes excellence for all.

The instructional program at La Colina Junior High is designed to encourage hard work, good study habits, collaboration and academic achievement. Core classes include: English Language Arts, mathematics, science and social studies. A robust Physical Education program is also part of the required course offerings in junior high school.

Key to La Colina’s success is the “team” concept. Within each subject area, there are sub-group teams such as English Language Arts – grade 7 or science – grade 8. These teams are referred to as Professional Learning Communities (PLC). The teachers complete all of the organization, planning, assessments, analysis of the assessments and intervention together.

Other instructional program highlights include:

  • World Languages (Spanish)
  • Vocal music (ensembles and chorus)
  • Theater and Musical Theater
  • Instrumental Music (Advanced Band, Beginning Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra and Drumline)
  • Coding and Robotics
  • Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID; prepares students for college eligibility and success)
  • Visual Arts (drawing, painting and design)
  • English Language Development classes for Emergent Multilingual students
  • Support classes for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPS)
  • Academic support classes 

Our staff is committed to supporting all students and families to have a successful experience at La Colina Junior High School. Go Lions!