The history of the Carlsbad School District dates back to 1872, when most of the community was homestead land. According to the Carlsbad Historical Society, the city's founding families built a one-room school house, called Hope School, near what is now the La Costa Resort. The school opened with 25 students and operated until the 1890s.

Another one-room school house followed after the Carlsbad Land and Water Company in 1886 developed land northwest of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. As more roads were built, more land was subdivided, and more families began moving in, that schoolhouse soon became overcrowded. So the students were moved to a building on the corner of Elm and Second streets. When that building burned down, a more permanent four-room, two-story schoolhouse was built on Pine Street.

The Carlsbad Union School District was formed in 1921. With voter approval of a $16,000 construction bond in 1924, Carlsbad School on Pine was rebuilt. It remained the only school in town until after World War II. After the War, Carlsbad's population exploded. The City of Carlsbad, covering only seven square miles, was incorporated in 1952. The Carlsbad Union School Board kept busy building schools.

Buena Vista Elementary School was built in 1961 and is one of the District’s oldest schools. It is located less than half a mile east of the beach and Interstate 5. The school is situated in a residential area and the main school entry is set back from Buena Vista Way by a horseshoe-style pick-up and drop-off. This campus is terraced with three main elevations: the lower playfield, the playground level, and the upper level. The classroom buildings, Administration, and multi-purpose are at different elevations requiring ramps throughout the campus.