Boarding Schools
The Athenian School
The Athenian School |
![]() |
location | type | grades | students | int’l. | s-f ratio | class | SSAT | SAT-avg | TOEFL |
Danville, CA | co-ed | 9-12 | 535 | 11% | 10:1 | 15 | Not req | 1380 | 90 |
Athenian goes far beyond excellent college preparation by inspiring students to become life-long learners and confident, successful adults. Students at Athenian develop a deep understanding of themselves, extraordinary skills for achievement, and the compassion to make a positive difference in the world. In Athenian’s idyllic setting, students celebrate learning through relationships, exploration, hands-on projects, service, and adventure in addition to their work in the classroom. The Athenian experience engages students in their intellectual and social development as it expands their individual capacities and global perspectives.
Athenian graduates thrive academically in college, but they also leave the School as enthusiastic, life-long learners. At Athenian, students develop an understanding of themselves and how far their hearts and minds can take them.
Academics
Rigorous academics remain at the heart of Athenian’s mission. Students challenge themselves, from a wonderfully engaging and advanced Middle School curriculum to extraordinary college level seminars in our Upper School. Throughout our program, learning comes alive as students immerse themselves in stimulating discussions.
Special Highlights
Garden Project. Athenian’s organic garden is a showcase for sustainability and features an Earth Tub composting system, drip-irrigation and a chicken coop. The Athenian Permaculture Project, conceived, designed and being built by a group of Athenian students, actively regenerates energy in many forms, maintains itself, and provides the community a source of inspiration and education. This land-care project is consciously designed to have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems.
Airplane Project. A student-built airplane is just one example of the hands-on experiential learning opportunities students enjoy at Athenian. While the current airplane may be the last we build for a time at Athenian, similar projects will continue, such as robotics, the biodiesel project, an electric car project and yet-unimagined hands-on learning projects.
Top colleges attended by students
Brown University, Occidental College, University of California Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Pennsylvania, USC
What the school looks for in students…
“In the admission process at Athenian, we look beyond the typical qualifications. While strong academic performance and test scores can show a student’s readiness for academic challenge, that student’s fit with Athenian’s philosophy and mission is also important. We look to see what each applicant will add to the mix of experiences, talents, backgrounds, and perspectives that forms the Athenian community.”