Public education is provided by Barstow Unified School District and has eight elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school, one junior high school, two high schools and one adult evening school. There are two private elementary schools within the community as well.

Barstow College offers community college courses for those seeking to go onto a four-year degree program as well as those seeking further education in trade-specific fields.

The San Bernardino County Library collection includes books, videocassettes, DVDs, magazines, recorded books, music cassettes and compact discs. The catalog is computerized and can be accessed in any branch library. The Barstow branch maintains a collection of reference materials designed to meet the needs of the local community. In addition to local materials, library staff has access to additional extensive collections of reference resources in all formats, from print to tangible electronic products (such as CD-ROMs) and on-line databases.