The Thacher School

5025 Thacher Road
Ojai, CA 93023
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'Education is not merely the making of scholars. It is the making of men and women. It is the training of the younger generation in the art of living for their own greatest good and the greatest good of their fellow citizens.' -Sherman Day Thacher
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'Education is not merely the making of scholars. It is the making of men and women. It is the training of the younger generation in the art of living for their own greatest good and the greatest good of their fellow citizens.' -Sherman Day Thacher
Thacher's 427 acres sit at the foot of the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California's idyllic Ojai Valley. Here, members of the girls' varsity soccer team stretch before an afternoon practice.
In courses designed for intellectual and creative expansion, students and teachers meet in seminar circles, studios, and laboratories to create a learning environment that is vigorous and supportive, galvanizing and nurturing.
Team sport offerings include football, volleyball, cross-country, tennis, basketball, soccer, track and field, lacrosse, and baseball. Students can also choose to participate in yoga, dance, rock climbing, and riding.
Twice a year, the entire school packs up and heads into the wilderness for a week of adventure, challenge, and bonding. Leaders offer a variety of trips focusing on activities such as backpacking, kayaking, rock climbing, and sailing.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before lunch, the community gathers outdoors for Assembly, a time reserved for announcements, presentations, and acknowledgements. The spontaneous spirit of Assembly usually becomes fodder for discussion later in the day.
State-of-the-art dormitories incorporate as much of Thacher's beautiful outdoor space as possible.
Though most new students have had little or no experience with horses, each ninth grader spends the first year learning to care for and ride a horse. A long-standing tradition and central part of a Thacher education, the program teaches responsibility, problem solving, and grit in addition to riding skills and rewards participants with heightened self-confidence and awareness.
The Milligan Center for Performing Arts, a 450-seat auditorium, hosts three major stage productions each year as well as multiple performances by the dance ensemble, jazz band, Chamber Singers, and string orchestra. Thacher's vibrant studio art program offers courses in two and three-dimensional art, photography, ceramics, and wood design.
'Come west. Breathe deep. Let these books and these hills and these horses be your teachers.' -Sherman Day Thacher
  • Founded in 1889, The Thacher School is a coeducational boarding high school located 85 miles northwest 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.

School Overview

School Membership(s)School Assoc. National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
Grades Offered Grades 9-12
Year Founded 1889

Student Body

Total Students 250 students
Student Body Type Co-ed
% Students of Color
41%
State avg.: 43%
Students by Grade The Thacher School Student By Grade

Academics and Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers 60 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio 4:1
National avg.: 13:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree
80%
Average Class Size 11 students
Number of AP Courses 17 courses
List of Courses Offered Link to List of Courses
Average SAT score 1450
Average ACT score 30
Matriculation DataMatric. Data Link to Matriculation Data
Classroom Dress Code Casual

Finances and Admission

Admission Deadline Jan. 15
Yearly Tuition Cost $57,200
% on Financial Aid
28%
Average Financial Aid Grant $41,400
Acceptance Rate
13%
National avg.: 85%
Admissions Director Bill McMahon

Sports

Total Sports Offered 12 sports
Sports Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Dance, Equestrian, Football, Lacrosse, Rock Climbing, Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field, VolleyballBaseball, Basketball,
Cross Country, Dance,
Equestrian, Football,
Lacrosse, Rock Climbing,
Soccer, Tennis,
Track and Field, Volleyball,
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Quick Stats
  • Grades: 9-12
  • Students: 250 students
  • Yearly Tuition: $57,200
  • Acceptance rate: 13%
  • Average class size: 11 students
  • Application Deadline: Jan. 15
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Did You Know?
The average acceptance rate in Ojai, CA is 42% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).
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