Schools

Fifteen school districts serve over 28,000 students in El Dorado County. The Lake Tahoe and Georgetown Divide regions each have a K-12 district. On the Western Slope there are twelve small to moderate sized K-8 districts which feed into the El Dorado Union High School District. The new Union Mine High School has completed construction with funding coming from the passage of a local bond measure in June 1997 and opened its doors in August 1999. It is considered a technological school with an emphasis on computer education. 

Many families move to El Dorado County because there are healthy influences for youth in a semi-rural area with good quality schools. On the nationally normed CTBS group achievement test administered in 1996, students in the County had higher total scores than the national average for all grade levels tested. 

Teachers are also attracted to El Dorado County schools where there is an openness to innovation to meet the needs of students and families. Examples of innovation are found in video technology classes where students produce news shows which can be shown in other classes, participation in “Academic Decathlon” competitions, and connectivity of schools to the Internet throughout the County. 

Local school offerings provide a selection of more than forty business related courses, including accounting, banking and finance, business machines, business English, computer applications, data processing, merchandising, restaurant management, and word processing.

For further information visit the El Dorado County Office of Education website: www.edcoe.k12.ca.us

Local Area Colleges:

Los Rios Community College District

Folsom Lake College

Sacramento City College

American River College

Consumnes River College

Sierra College

CSU, Sacramento

UC Davis

CSU, Chico

Folsom Lake College’s El Dorado Center – part of the Los Rios Community College District – offers a wide variety of general education transferable and other courses. In addition, the El Dorado Center (located off Green Valley Road in Placerville near the El Dorado County Office of Education) provides student resources, including counseling, financial aid, tutoring, and a library/computer lab.

School Closing Alert - Click on this link for the latest school closure information.

A list of non-public schools is available for $1 at the Chamber Office or from the Chamber Store.

Education Council

Mission Statement – Provide an avenue through which the academic and business communities can work together to address the employee training and educational needs of our community.

The Chamber’s Education Council meets monthly on the first Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.  The council has representation from the County Office of Education, Folsom Lake College, First 5 El Dorado, Job One, Early Childhood educators and others. 

The council’s one fundraiser is an annual Art Auction usually held in May.  Participating artists receive 60% of the sale price of their donated piece and the council’s scholarship fund receives 40%.  For more information on the art auction visit  www.EDCChamberArtAuction.com

The Education Council has three different scholarships available. 

Through the Al Aguiar Memorial Scholarship, applicants currently employed in the county and wishing to further their skills in their current profession can partner with their employer for up to $500 in assistance. 

Information on Al Aguiar Scholarship

Through the financial aid office at the El Dorado Center – Folsom Lake College, recent High School graduates as well as re-entry students, can apply for $500 scholarships for studies in Business or Education.

Information on Folsom Lake College - El Dorado Center Scholarships

Through a partnership with First 5 El Dorado, individuals pursuing a career in Early Childhood Education or Child Development can qualify for a $600 scholarship upon providing proof of completing six units toward their progress on a Child Development permit in the previous year.

Information on the First 5 El Dorado High 5 for Quality Scholarship