Menlo School

Template:Distinguish2 Menlo School, known widely as Menlo, is an independent (i.e. private) college preparatory school in Atherton, California, USA. It includes grades 6-12. It was established in 1915 and is located at 50 Valparaiso Avenue across the street from Menlo Park. During its early years, the school included a junior college that became a college bearing the name, Menlo College; in 1994 they formally separated but continued to share several facilities.

Menlo School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the National and California Associations of Independent Schools. It has a student population of approximately 700 in Grades 6 through 12. Menlo is among the most expensive private secondary schools in the country with its tuition being just under $30,000 per year.

History

Founded in 1915, Menlo School began as an all-male, military school known as the William Warren School, with both boarding and day programs. In 1924 it was sold to a group of parents who dropped the military emphasis. During its early decades, Menlo provided a four-year program as a hybrid between a prep school and a junior college. Students would attend Menlo for the latter two years of high school plus two years of college, after which they would transfer directly into universities as upper-division students.

In 1927, the college program became a separate junior college, Menlo College, which continues to share a few parts of the campus with the school. But over time the two institutions drifted apart in many ways, so that they now have completely separate administrations, faculties, classrooms, and libraries (the final formal split occurred on June 30, 1994). Today, they share only athletic facilities, the dining hall, and an auditorium.

From 1979 to 1981, the school underwent a transition in which it halted the boarding program and began to admit female students. It also split into middle school and high school programs (the latter is called the "upper school").

Menlo School began accepting female students in 1979. Following a vigorous fund-raising effort beginning in the late 1990s, both the middle and upper school campuses have been completely rebuilt. These projects were completed in 1999 and 2004, respectively.

Academics, Athletics, and the Arts

Menlo School holds a reputation for strong academics, athletics and arts. Its reputation is especially strong on the West Coast, and some graduates consistently go on to attend top universities. Stanford, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and the University of Southern California were the favorite destinations of the 128-member class of 2006, with 14, 10, 8 and 7 students attending these schools, respectively. Small class sizes, averaging 18 students in the middle school and 15 students in the upper school, lead to high levels of interaction between students and faculty. Some of its athletic teams compete among the top athletic high schools in the state, highlighted by nationally ranked water polo and tennis teams. Along with athletics, Menlo School offers a wide variety of programs in the arts, including theater, chamber orchestra, jazz band, chorus, dance, photography, moviemaking and studio art.

Student life

The school offers over 40 student clubs in the upper school and 25 in the middle school. Menlo School offers a diverse array of activities through which students can develop their intellectual, social, political, and cultural interests. Stressing the importance of a commitment to the broader community, upper school students are required to complete 80 hours of community service in order to graduate. Additionally, peer leadership and advocacy programs give freshmen the opportunity to make connections with upperclassmen and faculty members as they begin their time at the school. The College Counseling office begins working with students in their junior year to guide them through the college admissions process.

Faculty

There are 84 full time faculty at Menlo School; the majority of which hold advanced degrees (53 Masters, 11 Ph.D.'s, and 2 J.D.'s). The current head of school is Norman Colb.

See also

• San Mateo County high schools
• National Association of Independent Schools

External links

• Menlo School official website
• Menlo College official website