Learn more on how McMillan Education helps families find their best fit school
Besant Hill School
Contact: Alex Spence, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
[email protected]
Address: 8585 Ojai Santa Paula Rd., Ojai, CA 93023
Web: www.besanthill.org
Inquiry Link: Besant Hill School Inquiry Form
As a community, our goal is to cultivate what is excellent in each student. Besant Hill School provides a small intimate learning environment where students are able to fully explore and express both their intellectual and creative abilities. With small classes, positive student/teacher relationships, and a quiet, rural location, we provide a safe and peaceful atmosphere for learning, study, contemplation, and self-expression. The mission of Besant Hill School is the development of each individual’s intellectual and artistic abilities. Through awakening the spirit of inquiry, we encourage each student to pursue integrity and excellence. Our non-competitive community builds honesty, respect, compassion and responsibility. Our goal is to develop a lifelong habit of learning as embodied in our school’s motto Aun Aprendo, I am still learning.
Cate School
Contact: Kyle D.V. Mason, Director of Outreach & Recruitment
[email protected]
Address: 1960 Cate Mesa Road, Carpinteria, CA 93012
Web: www.cate.org
Inquiry Link: Cate School Inquiry Formhttps://forms.veracross.com/Forms/cate/PreApplication/Inquiry.aspx
For over 100 years, Cate has been combining the best of East Coast tradition and West Coast energy and innovation in the service of highly motivated, independent-minded kids. Residential life is structured to develop well-being and leadership through the practice of self-discipline and service. In addition to an inquiry-driven curriculum designed to elicit the greatest possible growth in every student, all students participate in an extracurricular program that includes athletics, drama, music, dance, community service, and an extensive outdoor program. With more than 50 honors and advanced courses, the Cate curriculum can meet the demands of the most ambitious students. A typical applicant to Cate has impeccable character, a history of high academic achievement, and is mature, curious, adventurous, and willing to assume responsibility and independence.
Dunn School
Contact: Mike McKee
[email protected]
Address: 2555 West Highway 154, Los Olivos, CA 93441
Web: www.dunnschool.org
Inquiry Link: Dunn School Inquiry Form
Dunn School’s community (6-12, boarding and day, 270 students) is teeming with bright, curious, multi-faceted young people who are finding their way in the world and seeking to develop their strengths for the college and beyond. We believe that taking risks and stretching comfort zones is the essence of real growth. We believe that experiential education and a leadership curriculum are essential parts of the learning process and we aim to nurture the whole student with a commitment to our core values. Our students thrive in the classroom and outside of it, and on any given week you’ll find Dunn students out in the field– from the High Sierras to the Colorado River, from coastal conservation centers to the green fields on campus. We encourage you to come see for yourself. You’ll be inspired by our incredibly welcoming students and teachers, and you’ll be surprised at the serene campus you’ll find behind our gates.
Midland School
Contact: Cierra Ensign, Director of Admission & Financial Aid
[email protected]
Address: 5100 Figueroa Mountain Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441
Web: www.midland-school.org
Inquiry Link: Midland School Inquiry Form
Midland School, located on a 2,860-acre ranch at the edge of the Los Padres National Forest, has been the leader of place-based and experiential college preparatory education since 1932. Everything we do—from the courses we choose to teach to how we maintain our campus to the way we feed ourselves—originates from an intentional curriculum that focuses not only on college preparatory classes, but also on leadership, community, and stewardship. Our scale empowers students with authentic leadership opportunities, provides highly personalized learning, and inspires the pursuit of intellectual passions. At Midland, thirty-eight percent of our students identify as students of color, over half receive generous financial aid to attend, and the depth of our boarding experience facilitates both top-tier college admissions and future success.
Ojai Valley School
Contact: Tracy Wilson, Director of Advancement & Admissions
[email protected]
Address: 723 El Paseo Road, Ojai, CA 93023
Web: www.ovs.org
Inquiry Link: Ojai Valley School Inquiry Form
Founded in 1911, Ojai Valley School is a coed college-preparatory boarding and day school for nearly 300 students on two campuses in beautiful Ojai, California. Our high school, grades 9-12, provides a challenging academic program balanced by offerings in fine and performing arts, athletics, competitive robotics, outdoor education, and equestrian. Students thrive in a small community led by dedicated teachers who encourage critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, creativity, and collaboration – skills that prepare them well for entrance to a diverse cross-section of colleges and universities. The high school is located in the foothills of the Ojai Valley, 63 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Upper Campus is nestled in a canyon adjacent to the national forest and provides students with a spectacular 195-acre setting in which to live and learn. The Lower Campus, located near downtown Ojai, houses resident students in grades 3-8. Learn more at www.ovs.org
Santa Catalina School
Contact: Sarah Kline, Associate Director of Admissions
[email protected]
Address: 1500 Mark Thomas Drive, Monterey, CA 93940
Web: www.santacatalina.org
Inquiry Link: Santa Catalina School Inquiry Form
Set against the scenic backdrop of Monterey, Santa Catalina School is an independent, Catholic, boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12 with a diverse student body and strong local roots. We challenge students to achieve excellence in every arena, from rigorous academics—including a marine ecology program that takes advantage of access to Monterey Bay—to competitive athletics in 12 sports to an arts program with professional-quality facilities. In a warm community that values spirituality and service, Catalina girls become confident young women prepared to achieve greatness with grace.
Stevenson School
Contact: Bernadette Stoak, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Upper Division
[email protected]
Address: 3152 Forest Lake Road, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
Web: www.stevensonschool.org
Inquiry Link: Stevenson School Inquiry Link
Founded in 1952, Stevenson School is a selective coeducational boarding and day school. The 500-student upper division is located in Pebble Beach; about 60% of students reside in six faculty-supervised dormitories. As an American school with a global sensibility, Stevenson is premised on a vision of education as the means by which we discover the world and contribute to its transformation. We believe that one’s education is best pursued in the company of others, for others’ benefit as well as one’s own. Our mission includes three aims: to prepare students for success in college and beyond, to foster their passion for learning and achievement, and to help them shape a joyful life. Stevenson offers a values-driven community experience influenced by the distinctive beauty, ecological biodiversity, and contemplative culture of the Central Coast.
The Thacher School
Contact: A.J. Yates, Senior Associate Director of Admission
[email protected]
Address: 5025 Thacher Road, Ojai, CA 93023
Web: www.thacher.org
Inquiry Link:The Thacher School Inquiry Link
The Thacher School, a coeducational boarding high school perched at the foot of the Topatopa Mountains in Ojai, California, is anything but typical. Here, students encounter a combination they won’t find anywhere else: demanding academics, tough character-building challenges, and a healthy, authentic community culture that supports them every step of the way. It’s how Thacher succeeds in shaping resilient, compassionate, and ambitious young men and women who are prepared to take on the challenges of today’s world. We invite you to dive in and see for yourself what makes Thacher, Thacher.Villanova Preparatory School
Contact: Tyler Hart, Director of Admissions
[email protected]
Address: 12096 N. Ventura Avenue, Ojai, CA 93023
Web:www.villanovaprep.org
Inquiry Link:Villanova Preparatory School Inquiry Link
Villanova Preparatory School was founded in 1924 as a Catholic, Augustinian, boarding and day school. The Villanova mission is to graduate mature young adults of diverse backgrounds who express to the world qualities of love, truth, and community. Students develop a confident responsibility to lead by example, and serve with gratitude and humility. A coeducational school with a total enrollment of 200 students, small classes and individual attention are hallmarks of a Villanova education. 90 resident students hail from 15 countries, and the school celebrates diversity with steadfast traditions such as International Day. Villanova is the only boarding school in California offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and the only high school in the United States partnered with the Clare Boothe Luce foundation, seeking to advance young women in the fields of math and science.
The Webb Schools
Contact: Sarah Garcia
[email protected]
Address:1175 W. Baseline Road, Claremont, CA 91711
Web:www.webb.org
Inquiry Link:The Webb Schools Inquiry Link
A 150-acre campus in the foothills of Claremont, California–on the front porch of Los Angeles and part of the Pacific Rim. A boarding and day high school (9-12) with a 100-year legacy of putting honor and moral courage above all else. A fully accredited museum of paleontology. A college placement record that includes 90% of each graduating class attending colleges and universities in the top 10% nationwide. Students on campus from 10 states and 16 countries. A commitment to team sports, outdoor adventure, and participation in the arts. These attributes only begin to describe what makes Webb, Webb. While the school was founded in 1922 in the great tradition of the best boarding schools of the eastern United States, Webb has since grown to embrace the adventurous spirit of California where it thrives. Webb today is a vibrant community of unbounded thinkers pushing to solve problems and educate young boys and girls to become honor-bound leaders.