Midland School

PO Box 8, Los Olivos, CA 93441 - View a map of this school Map
tel: 805 688 5114 ext. 11

Founded in 1932, Midland School is a coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12. It is located in Santa Barbara County, on a 2,860-acre working ranch. The school combines rigorous academics with intensive immersion in the environment, and maintains a commitment to authentic student leadership, simplicity, self-reliance and environmental stewardship. Midland enrolls 90 students and employs 20 teachers, all of whom live on campus.

Upcoming Events and News:

  • A School for Our Times - Midland was featured as a model school, and the finale to a plenary talk at the Bioneers Conference 2011 by Karen Brown, Creative Director of The Center for Ecoliteracy, which is THE organization for bringing sustainability into ...read more
  • April 22, 2011 – The 41st Anniversary of Earth Day Transitioning to Renewable Energy - A Working Model from Secondary Education By Lise Goddard Though this generation’s greatest challenge is to stabilize our planet’s climate system while transitioning ...read more

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Overview:

Midland School
Boarding School Avg.
Definition of Terms
School Focus College Preparatory College Preparatory
Grades Offered. 9-12 9-12
School Type Co-ed Co-ed
Support for ADD/ADHD Students No No
Religious Affiliation Non-denominational Non-denominational
Year Founded 1932 1906
Campus Size 2860 acres 125 acres
Student Body
Enrollment 90 students 296 students
Percent Students of Color 23% 18%
Percent International Students 18% 18%
Percent Students Boarding 100% 69%
Average SAT Score 1663 * National Avg. »View
SAT range (25th-75th percentile) 1800 - 1570 -
Offers Post-Grad Year No No
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes Yes No
Frequency of Saturday Classes Weekly Less than once a month
Classroom Dress Code Casual Casual
Average Class Size 10 students 12
*National School Avg. » 20
Teacher : Student Ratio 1:5 1:7
# of AP/Advanced Courses Offered 5 13
ESL Courses Offered No Yes
% Faculty with Advanced Degree 33% 64%
Summer Program Offered No Yes
Finances
Endowment Size $9 million $14 million
Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) $38,500 $42,800
Yearly Tuition (Day Students) n/a $23,900
Tuition international students $39,500 $40,100
Percent Students on Financial Aid 45% 33%
Average Financial Aid Grant $20,000 $18,500
Merit Scholarships Offered No No
Admission
Application Deadline Feb. 15 / rolling Jan. 15
Accepts Standardized Application Yes No
SSAT Required No Yes
Average Percentile SSAT 61% -
Acceptance Rate 60% 60%
Director of Admissions Amy Graham  

Course Listings:

List of Courses Offered Link to List of Courses

Sports:

Total Interscholastic Sports Offered 5 13
Interscholastic Sports
Basketball Cross Country
Lacrosse Soccer
Volleyball

College Matriculation:

Year: -
10 Most Popular College Choices  (# Enrolled)
Link to Matriculation Data

School Notes:

  • Environment: Midland students learn how to conserve water and electricity, how to produce clean solar energy, and how to grow food organically. Midland uses its 2,860-acre campus academically and recreationally, and the school believes that a life lived close to nature is instructive and enriching.
  • Simplicity: One of Midland’s guiding tenets is that the essential ingredients of learning are a student, a teacher, and an idea. In and out of the classroom, Midland students learn how to distinguish between needs and wants, and how to appreciate life's fundamental joys and challenges.
  • Self-Reliance: In an eight-acre organic garden, the school grows much of its own produce. To help run the school and maintain the grounds, Midland entrusts students with daily jobs. Students chop wood to heat their cabins and showers. And older students have authentic leadership roles, which emphasize individual and collective responsibility.
  • Community: Midland School is a diverse community of students and teachers in pursuit of academic excellence and moral lives. Ultimately, Midland students learn that they can make a difference in their communities, a vital quality in a world that desperately needs people who care.
  • School accreditations: WASC, TABS, CAIS, NAIS
  • Profile last updated: 10/11/2011

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