The Thacher School
- Founded in 1889, The Thacher School is a coeducational boarding high school located 85 miles north of Los Angeles, California.
- The School serves academically talented students who will benefit from a rigorous college preparatory experience.
- The faculty and students live and work closely together in a community in which cooperation, trust, honesty, and respect are the cornerstones of school life.
- Together, we commit to the belief that demands in the academic classroom, when combined with those of mountains and horses, of sports and the arts, produce independent minds, strong bodies, and powerful character.
Alumni Reviews Review School
- Review Description
- Pitzer College The tight knit community is a really rare quality at high schools in general but especially boarding schools. The relationships with teachers and students is so close and the fact that there is very few. . .
- University of Montana The horse department at Thacher is both unique and outstanding. Unique because the school strives to keep the cowboy culture alive with over 100 horses and a fully outfitted western riding center. It is outstanding. . .
- Yale I loved Thacher because of the deep, respectful, and genuine connections in the community. Students, faculty, and staff were all so supportive to ensure I was the happiest and most challenged I could be. During. . .
- Show more reviews (22 reviews)
Top 20 Placements
All Schools Similar Size Schools
The Thacher School is listed among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 310 schools) for:
- Category Attribute
- School Resources Large financial endowment
- School Resources Highest endowment/student
- Selectivity Low acceptance rates
- Student Test Scores High average SAT scores
| Definition of Terms | 2020 School Data | The Thacher School | Boarding School Avg. |
| School Focus | College Prep | College Preparatory |
| Grades Offered | 9-12 | 9-12 |
| School Type | Co-ed | Co-ed |
| Religious Affiliation | Non-denominational | Non-denominational |
| Year Founded | 1889 | 1907 |
| Campus Size | 427 acres | 120 acres |
Student Body
| Enrollment | 254 students | 310 students |
| % Students of Color | 44% | 25% |
| % International Students | 12% | 20% |
| % Students Boarding | 93% | 70% |
| Average SAT Score | 1450 | * National Avg. »View |
| SAT range (25th-75th percentile) | 1260 - 1510 | - |
| Offers Post-Grad Year | No | No |
Academics and Faculty
| Saturday Classes | No | No |
| Classroom Dress Code | Casual | Casual |
| Average Class Size | 11 students | 12 *National School Avg. » 20 |
| Teacher : Student Ratio | 1:6 | 1:7 |
| # of AP / Advanced Courses Offered | 18 | 18 |
| ESL Courses Offered | No | Yes |
| % Faculty with Advanced Degree | 83% | 70% |
| Summer Program Offered | No | Yes |
Finances
| Endowment Size | $170.6 million (June 2019) | $22 million |
| Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) | $62,810 | $58,260 |
| Yearly Tuition (Day Students) | $43,850 | $30,000 |
| % Students on Financial Aid | 29% | 38% |
| Avg. Financial Aid Grant | $47,000 | $25,000 |
| Merit Scholarships Offered | No | No |
Admission
| Application Deadline | Jan. 15 | Jan. 15 |
| SSAT Required | Yes | Yes |
| Acceptance Rate | 11% | 57% |
| Director of Admissions | Bill McMahon | |
| Associate Director of Admissions | A.J. Yates | |
Course Listings
| List of Courses Offered | Link to List of Courses |
Sports
| # Interscholastic Sports Offered | 14 | 16 |
| Sports | Baseball, Basketball, Climbing, Cross Country, Dance, Equestrian, Football, Lacrosse, Rock Climbing, Soccer, Tennis, Track, Track and Field, Volleyball | |
Extracurriculars
| Total Extracurricular Organizations | 20 | 24 |
| Extracurriculars | Prefects, Quilting, Sir Winston Churchill Debating Society, Spanish Club Club or Organization: Amnesty International Club, Black Student Union, Cheese Club, Christian Fellowship Club, Indoor, Latinos Unidos, Literary Society, Multi-ethnic Student Union, Robotics Club, Spectrum, The Notes, United Cultures of Thacher Arts and Music Programs: Chamber, Thacher Masquers Recreational Athletic Programs: Fitness/Challenge Fitness, Thacher Pack & Spur Club | |
College Matriculation
| Year: 2012 - 2016 | 10 Most Popular College Choices (# Enrolled) | |
| Stanford University | 16 | |
| New York University | 12 | |
| Colorado College | 11 | |
| USC | 11 | |
| Claremont McKenna College | 10 | |
| Columbia University | 8 | |
| Dartmouth College | 8 | |
| Tafts University | 8 | |
| Universtity of Richmond | 8 | |
| Duke University | 7 | |
| Link to Matriculation Data | ||
School Notes
- Founded in 1889, The Thacher School is a coeducational boarding high school located 85 miles north of Los Angeles, California. The School serves academically talented students who will benefit from a rigorous college preparatory experience. The faculty and students live and work closely together in a community in which cooperation, trust, honesty, and respect are the cornerstones of school life. Together, we commit to the belief that demands in the academic classroom, when combined with those of mountains and horses, of sports and the arts, produce independent minds, strong bodies, and powerful character.
- The Thacher School accreditations: TABS, NAIS, WBSA, SSATB
Profile last updated:
- Submit Review for The Thacher School
Related Schools
Show me:
- People that viewed The Thacher School also viewed these schools: Cate School, The Webb Schools, Stevenson School, Phillips Academy Andover and Deerfield Academy.
- School Location Miles Grades Students
- Grades: 9-12 | 300 students 17.3 miles1960 Cate Mesa Road, P.O. Box 5005
Carpinteria, CA 93013
(805) 684-412717.39-12300 - Grades: 9-12 | 410 students 85.7 miles1175 West Baseline Road
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 482-521485.79-12410 - Grades: 9-12| 750 students 213.6 miles3152 Forest Lake Road
Pre-K-12 (day)
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
(831) 625-8309213.69-12750
Pre-K-12 (day) - Grades: 9-12, PG | 1146 students 2620.4 miles180 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
(978) 749-40502620.49-12, PG1146 - Grades: 9-12, PG | 648 students 2546.3 miles7 Boyden Lane
Deerfield, MA 01342
(413) 774-14002546.39-12, PG648
Recent Articles
Several things make boarding school special. The learning, the community, the sports. All these and more.
A private school in its infancy is quite different from the mature community it becomes over time. I wonder what the founders of these five schools would think about them today. I bet they would be very proud of their creations.
Sending our children off to boarding school in the fall of 2020 raises questions about their safety and other corona virus issues. We address some of your concerns here.
Featured Schools
