[10]: 122 The district primarily served the children of local farmers and had a significant Japanese population.
[2][21] Due to rapid population increases and industrialization, the four school districts began making efforts to merge in the 1950s.
[13][22][23] Following new financial incentives offered by the state government in 1964, Santa Clara voters approved school district unification in October 1965,[9] and the Santa Clara Unified School District was established on July 1, 1966.
[26] In June 2014, the Santa Clara Unified School District purchased 59.4 acres of the former Agnews Developmental Center to build a K–12 educational facility.
[31] The Santa Clara Unified School District is governed by an elected Board of Trustees, which appoints the superintendent.
[49][50] The SCUSD Board of Trustees consists of seven members who serve four-year terms.
[49] In 2022, the district switched from at-large board member elections to district-based representation.
[63] In April 2002, the Santa Clara Unified School District opened the Casa del Maestro Apartment Complex as the first subsidized teacher housing in California.
[87][88] The housing complex has inspired dozens of other school districts to consider similar initiatives.
[89] In 2020, SCUSD received four electric buses through the Carl Moyer Grant Program.