Blackburn Mentoring works with students and young adults in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe and Encinitas through one dedicated mentor who meets them by video each week. The mentor helps them plan the week, build routines and follow through, with text check ins between sessions. For students under 18 a parent can join the free 20 minute intro call, agree the goals and get regular updates.
A seventh grade handoff
Coastal North County has an unusual school structure. Children attend small elementary districts such as Del Mar Union, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas Union and Cardiff, and then move into the San Dieguito Union High School District for grades 7 through 12. That district serves Encinitas, Del Mar and Solana Beach, the Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks Ranch communities, and parts of Carlsbad and San Diego, and it enrolled 11,864 students in 2025 to 2026, according to Ed-Data.
So students change districts, campuses and often friend groups at the start of seventh grade, and then face course choices with long term weight soon after. For high school students, a mentor helps build the planning habits those course choices call for.
Rancho Santa Fe and the coast
Rancho Santa Fe is a small, low density community; the 2020 Census counted 3,156 residents, and its founding land plan, the Covenant, is a California Historical Landmark. Homes are spread out, so a teenager’s day often depends on a parent’s car for school, practice and friends. On the coast, Del Mar and Solana Beach are small beach cities with their own rhythms around the fairgrounds, the racetrack season and the beach. In families where parents are closely involved, the work for a mentor is often helping a teenager take real ownership of a plan that parents have been carrying.
What families here bring to a mentor
- Students who have never had to manage alone. A mentor gives a capable teenager responsibility for a weekly plan and holds them to it, so independence is practiced before college rather than after.
- Heavy course loads and competitive activities. Honors and AP classes, club sports, equestrian and music all compete for the same hours. A mentor builds one calendar and protects sleep.
- Students in independent or boarding schools. One steady mentor by video, whether the student lives at home or away. See independent school families.
- College students and young adults. Help through the first year away, a leave and return, or the first year after graduation. See college transition mentoring and young adult mentoring.
- Rising generation readiness. Young adults in families with significant resources sometimes need help building their own direction, work habits and money skills. A mentor works on structure and follow through; it is not financial or legal advice.
How sessions work from North County
Our team is based in Los Angeles, a long drive north on the 5, so families here meet by video. Sessions fit around school, sports, travel and boarding school calendars, and mentors offer early morning, evening and weekend times. In person meetings take place only in Los Angeles. Families slightly north may prefer our Carlsbad page. Families anywhere in Southern California can also see our Southern California areas page.
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 Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe.
- 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.
For the high school selection window and graduation requirements, see our guide to mentoring for San Dieguito UHSD students.
Related
- All Southern California areas
- Mentoring in Carlsbad
- Independent school families
- Middle to high school transition
- Mentoring for high school students
- Executive function coaching
- Mentoring in San Diego and La Jolla
Common questions
When is a good time to start with a mentor?
Many families start in eighth grade, before high school course choices begin, or early in ninth grade. Any point in the year works.
Do you meet in person in Rancho Santa Fe or Del Mar?
No. Clients in coastal North County meet by video. In person meetings take place only in Los Angeles.
Can you work with a student at a boarding school?
Yes. Video sessions work for students living away at school, and parents stay part of the plan with the student’s knowledge.
Do you share information with anyone outside the family?
Only with written consent. For students under 18, parents receive regular updates. If a young adult wants a mentor to coordinate with someone else, such as a school counselor, that happens only with their written permission.
Get started
Looking for a mentor in Del Mar, Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe? 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.