Blackburn Mentoring works with high school and college students, young adults and professionals across Southern California. Every client has one dedicated mentor, a short list of goals and weekly steps, and text and phone check ins between sessions. In person sessions are available in Los Angeles; everywhere else in the region, including Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Diego counties, sessions are by video. Pick your area below for local school system details and logistics.
How sessions work across the region
Our team is based in Los Angeles. Families in and around Los Angeles can meet in person, by video or both. Families in the surrounding counties meet by video, which keeps sessions steady regardless of freeway traffic, practice schedules or a student away at school. In person meetings outside Los Angeles are not offered, and nothing in the program depends on them. Mentors offer early morning, evening and weekend times, and a parent can join the free 20 minute intro call for students under 18.
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County has its own guide with more than forty neighborhood and city pages, from the Westside and the South Bay to the San Gabriel Valley and the Antelope Valley.
- All Los Angeles County areas: every area page, with a table of which public school district serves each one.
- Mentoring in Los Angeles: the city, where in person sessions take place.
- Long Beach and Cerritos: the county’s southeastern edge, next to Orange County.
Orange County
- Newport Beach and Irvine: the harbor and the master planned city, for students and young professionals.
- Laguna Beach: a small K through 12 district in an older arts town.
- Huntington Beach: separate elementary and high school districts, and a big ninth grade handoff.
- South Orange County: San Clemente, Dana Point, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel and the large district that serves them.
Ventura County and Santa Barbara
- Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Valley: just over the county line from Los Angeles.
- Camarillo: a K through 8 district feeding a separate high school district.
- Ventura and Oxnard: the coastal plain, the harbor and the farms.
- Ojai: a small valley district and students who want more than the valley offers.
- Santa Barbara and Montecito: a college town next to a very small elementary district.
San Diego County
- Carlsbad: a family city with a large military connected population.
- Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe: small elementary districts feeding a grade 7 to 12 district.
- San Diego and La Jolla: a very large unified district, a college city and many military families.
- Coronado: an island town next to Naval Base Coronado, with a small K through 12 district.
Inland Empire and the desert
- Riverside and San Bernardino: long commutes and fast growing suburbs.
- Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley: video sessions for desert families and seasonal residents.
Why the school system matters
Southern California districts are organized very differently, and the structure shapes when students struggle. In Huntington Beach and Camarillo, students move from an elementary district into a separate high school district in ninth grade. In coastal North County San Diego they make that move in seventh grade, into the San Dieguito Union High School District. Elsewhere, one unified district runs from kindergarten through 12th grade, from tiny systems like Laguna Beach Unified (2,316 students in 2025 to 2026, per Ed-Data) to large ones like Capistrano Unified (46,429 students). A mentor plans around those handoffs: for a student heading into high school, the year before the change is usually the right time to build planning habits. Our middle to high school transition guide explains the skills involved.
How to start
- Take a short assessment. Tell us about the student or young adult and the goals. It takes about five minutes.
- Have a free 20 minute intro call. For high school students, a parent is welcome to join. We talk through fit, schedule and how sessions would work from Southern California.
- Meet the mentor. New clients are matched with one mentor within two business days.
- Start the plan. 60 minute video sessions, weekly or several times a week, with text and phone check ins between them.
Orange County families with students in Irvine Unified can start with our district guide, mentoring for Irvine USD students.
More district guides for this region: Newport-Mesa USD, Laguna Beach USD and Capistrano USD in Orange County, Santa Barbara Unified, and San Dieguito Union High School District and Carlsbad USD in north San Diego County.
Related
- All Los Angeles County areas
- Video mentoring nationwide
- Mentoring across California
- Mentoring for high school students
- Mentoring for college students
- Young adult mentoring
- School district and college system guides
Common questions
Do you offer in person mentoring outside Los Angeles?
No. In person sessions take place in Los Angeles. Clients in Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties meet by video, with text and phone check ins between sessions.
Is video mentoring a good fit for a teenager?
For most students, yes. The work is planning the week, reviewing what happened and building habits, which works well by video. A parent can join the intro call for students under 18, agree the goals and get regular updates.
Can my student keep the same mentor if we move or they leave for college?
Yes. Because sessions are by video, the same mentor can continue anywhere in the country.
Who do you work with?
High school and college students, young adults and professionals. Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions consultants; they focus on goals, routines and follow through.
How do we start?
Take the five minute assessment or call (888) 305 5422. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free 20 minute intro call, and new clients are matched with a mentor within two business days.
Get started
Looking for a mentor in Southern California? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free 20 minute intro call.
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.