[1] The Martineztown-Santa Barbara area was settled in the mid-1800s as a rural Hispanic community some 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Albuquerque plaza.

The original two-room schoolhouse was constructed of adobe with a stone foundation; a third room was added at some point in the subsequent decade.

This addition, designed by architect E. H. Norris, added one large room with a folding partition to the south side of the school, separated from the three older classrooms by a central hall.

[4] The Santa Barbara School is a one-story building of varied materials, with sections of adobe, brick, and concrete block construction.

The school is organized around a central hallway extending nearly the full length of the building with classrooms on either side, and the exterior is generally symmetrical about this axis.