Hello all, are there any recommendations for college prep/private schools in California that offer boarding? Any pros/cons/suggestions for these schools I found out about, thanks : )
Cate School
Sierra Canyon School
The Webb Schools
Woodside Priory School
Stevenson School
The Athenian School
The Thatcher School - horses!
Only one T - Thacher
Ojai Valley School
I went to Stevenson back in the 1980’s, it was called Robert Louis Stevenson school back then and only had boarding for boys at that time. It’s a fantastic school and had a great college guidance center back then. I’ve lived on the east coast for many years and finally made it back to Pebble Beach last summer and took my family there for a look at it, and they have changed and built so many new buildings and dorms, it looks great. You can’t beat the location in Pebble Beach near the ocean and on the 17th hole of what was formerly Spyglass golf course (I think it may have changed names), the education was top notch and really prepared me well for college.
I heard at Athenian there’s a work hard/play hard sentiment (in a good way though!) they have a outdoor program as apart of the circulim where they take the kids on camping and backpacking trips (they have a really big one in 11th grade) so if your into the outdoors that’s a plus! If you’re open to project based school EF academy has a campus in New York and Pasadena, California that’s also really nice. I think Sierra canyon is more of a regular day school that offers boarding instead of a regular boarding school so I’d be surprised if they had a large amount of boarders. I used to live near the school and the area it’s located in tends to be very hot and humid during the summer and late spring with the temperature being in the high 90s although I know a couple of years ago we had a heat wave and it was around 100 degrees. So if you don’t like hot weather that can be a con
We had friends at Athenian.
They were dissatisfied and left. I don’t really know the particulars.
Take the single data point for what it is.
Cate is only about 80 kids per grade which feels very small by senior year, the academics are great, but the students can be very competitive with one another.
Forgot to add in original post but if your a girl and don’t mind girls only/ catholic schools where you have to take a religion class, Santa Catalina school may be a good look if your really into marine ecology or are really interested in studying the ocean since I believe they have good programs surrounding that.