Farm Lab History

EUSD breaks ground on Farm Lab's DREAMS campus and farm.

The first student visits to the DREAMS campus began.

Through a partnership with the City of Encinitas, the Encinitas Community Garden opens to the public.

The farm at EUSD Farm Lab becomes the first certified organic farm owned by a school district in the nation.  

The 2016-2017 school year was the first year ALL K-6 EUSD students came to the DREAMS Campus for NGSS based learning experiences.

EUSD partners with The Ecology Center to expand farming and community offerings on site.

The Research and Design spaces open to expand place based educational opportunities on site,  as well as provide equitable access to a farm to table nutrition for all. These spaces were designed FOR students BY students!

Additionally, native shade trees and expansive native gardens were planted across the site.

Farm Lab's shift from traditional organic growing methods to full regenerative agriculture is rewarded with Real Organic Project certification.

The Labyrinth installation was completed in the driveway island, and Farm Lab's project and educational programming are highlighted in three published works: 

• Evolving Education (Dr. Katie Martin)
• A Practical Guide to Leading Green Schools (Cynthia Uline & Lisa Kensler)
• Trailblazers for Whole School Sustainability (Edited by Jennifer Seydel, Cynthia Merse, Lisa Kensler, & David Sobel)

In July of 2022,  EUSD began to independently manage all facility use and farming operations. 

In December of 2022, Farm Lab received a Golden bell award in the Climate Change innovation Category.