|  | Frequently Asked Questions | Q. | With which schools do you have the highest overlap in applications? | | A. | In recent years, we have had the most overlap with Exeter, St. Paul’s, Andover, Deerfield, Groton, and Cate. |
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| Q. | What type of student is Thacher looking to enroll? | | A. | Thacher wants to enroll the most talented students we can find. We look for students from a variety of backgrounds who share a passion for doing their best, for respecting each other's interests and talents, and for enjoying an energetic intellectual life. We want to enroll students of the highest moral character who have an interest not only in receiving a top-notch academic education, but who also will contribute to andparticipate in the life of the School. Many graduates attribute their excellent preparation to qualities cultivated outside the classroom: the resourcefulness developed while camping and riding; the integrity that comes from living by an Honor Code; the sense of purpose found in holding leadership positions; and the willingness to lend a hand that is expected in this close-knit community. |
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| Q. | What can I expect when I come to visit Thacher? | | A. | We welcome Admission visitors on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the school year. To schedule an interview, please call our office any weekday. When students and their families come to visit, they tour the campus with a current student first. This gives everyone a chance to ask questions in a casual setting and to see our breathtaking campus. All visitors also see a School Assembly, an event where we share stories, announcements, and other community information. It is a good way to get a feel for Thacher’s friendly and open atmosphere. After Assembly, guests come back to the Admission Office for an interview with one of our Admission officers. A full visit and interview usually lasts around two hours. |
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| Q. | How hard is it to get accepted at Thacher? How competitive is the pool? | | A. | Admission to Thacher is highly selective and the applicant pool quite competitive. We have from 65 to 70 open spots each year, for which we receive close to 450 completed applications, most from very qualified students with much to offer our community.Thacher admits 20% of those who apply. Our yield rate ranks among the highest in the nation; roughly 80% of accepted students choose to matriculate. |
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| Q. | How many new students do you enroll each year? | | A. | In the ninth grade class, we enroll roughly fifty students. Additionally, we enroll anywhere from ten to twelve new sophomores and one or two new juniors. Because our attrition rate is so low (around 2%), we rarely have openings in the junior year. We deliberately leave the ninth grade class a bit smaller so that we are able to accept a number of tenth graders. |
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| Q. | How diverse is Thacher’s student body? Where do students come from? | | A. | Students come from 11 countries and 26 states. Of those, 36% are students of color. |
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| Q. | What is Thacher’s student body like? | | A. | Thacher's students are the School's greatest resource. The variety, strengths, personalities, and characters of the present students shape the Community and bring life to all that takes place at the School. While there is no "typical" Thacher student, most share a commitment to excellence, a strong sense of integrity, and a spirit of adventure.
Fast Facts
- 215 Boarders and 20 Day Students, with equal numbers of boys and girls.
- 42% of Thacher boarders come from beyond California representing 26 states.
- 10% hail from countries other than the United States, including Canada, China, England, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
- The remainder of Thacher's students come from over 70 different towns or cities within California.
- 36% are students of color.
- Of the new students entering Thacher in the fall of 2009, 42% come from public schools and 58% from private schools. 24% come from schools that do not rank their students. Of the remaining students, 90 percent are in the top 25% of their class.
- The median SSAT score for this year's incoming students is in the 83th percentile (independent school norms).
- 32% receive financial aid.
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| Q. | How many classes do students take at one time? | | A. | Typically, ninth graders take five classes in the fall—English, math, physics, language, and arts (drama, music, and studio), then add history beginning in January. After the ninth grade, students take anywhere from five to six solid classes. |
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| Q. | Are advanced students able to move at their own pace? | | A. | In math and language, students are automatically placed at a higher level if they have the background and ability to take upper level courses. If you have a special ability or the need for an advanced class in any area, we will find a way to provide you with the academic challenge that you desire. Because Thacher is a small school, we are often able to teach courses that wouldn’t normally be offered when a small number of students are qualified. |
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| Q. | What is the average class size? | | A. | The average class size is 10. |
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| Q. | May students take two languages or two sciences simultaneously? | | A. | Students may pursue two languages on the condition that the courses fit into the academic schedule and that the students can sustain the work load. Many of our students do just this. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors may take more than one science course as long as conforms with their busy schedules. |
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| Q. | What kind of study skills support is available? | | A. | Thacher has an excellent system in place when students need extra help. First, we have a full-time study skills coordinator who meets individually with students to assess areas of difficulty and to develop a plan to better manage the workload. This may involve better time-management, moving down a level in a particular class, or spending more focused time studying. Thacher teachers offer study sessions and extra help in the evenings that allows students who are struggling to seek help as needed. Next, Thacher offers a teacher-proctored study hall each evening for those students who experience difficulty focusing in their dorm rooms or who need some extra supervision. Teachers, advisors, and Dorm Heads routinely keep tabs of students who struggle so they can step in and help quickly. At Thacher, students won’t slip through the cracks! |
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| Q. | Are faculty members available to help students outside of class? | | A. | One of the greatest features of life at boarding school is that the teachers live within walking distance of the dormitories. Teachers offer extra-help sessions for students during the academic day and evenings, either in their homes or in classrooms; individual appointments can also be scheduled. Thacher faculty choose boarding school life because they relish living and working with teenagers, and they enjoy the time spent with them in the classroom, on the field, in the dining hall, and in the dormitory. |
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| Q. | Where do your seniors typically attend college? | | A. | Our seniors matriculate at the most competitive colleges and universities in the U.S. In the past five years, we have sent the most students to the following colleges and universities: Stanford, Dartmouth, George Washington, Colorado College, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and USC. For a full list of where our graduates have matriculated, please see the College Admission page. |
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| Q. | What is Thacher’s philosophy on students and sports? | | A. | Our philosophy regarding athletics is simple and is based on the belief that physical exercise is an important part of any education. Each student participates in an afternoon activity during each of the three yearly seasons. That activity can be a traditional sport, riding, or one of the Outdoor Program options (kayaking or rock climbing). We want students to get out and participate to the best of their ability and have fun. From those who aspire to college athletics to those who are more reluctant about organized sports, there is a place for each person and level of ability. We hope that Thacher students leave with the lasting impression that physical activity is good for the mind, body, and soul. |
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| Q. | How can a student play sports AND take care of a horse? | | A. | Although all entering ninth graders must complete one year of the Horse Program, Thacher offers all freshmen the opportunity to play on sports teams provided that they meet their weekly horse requirements. Several “freshmen-only” teams meet two or three times weekly for practice and games. Freshmen can also play on JV level and Varsity teams if they meet the qualifications. The vast majority of our ninth graders choose to participate in sports throughout the year in addition to riding. Students who enter as sophomores or juniors need complete only one season of riding during their time at Thacher which can be done anytime before the senior year. |
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| Q. | What are the options for sports? What if none of these are sports I’ve done before? | | A. | For a small school, Thacher has a wide range of athletic opportunities at every level. We offer 13 varsity sports for both girls and boys. Varsity programs are for students who have achieved a certain range of success within a given sport and wish to compete at a highly competitive level. Top athletes often go on to compete at the college level. We also offer each of our sports at the JV level for students who would like to become more proficient and work on their skills. Several sports also offer a Third Team option, which is more participation-oriented and is for student who like to learn and build skills while having fun, but would prefer a lower level of interscholastic competition. We welcome the most experienced of athletes as well as those who have never participated in organized sports. Everyone must participate on at least one athletic team before graduating. |
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| Q. | What options are available for pursuing an extracurricular activity that Thacher does not offer? | | A. | After students have completed their horse requirement and the one-season team sport requirement, they may apply for an Independent Afternoon Project. This program allows students with a particular talent or field of interest to pursue that endeavor at a higher, more individualized level. Due the independent nature of such projects and the responsibility and self-discipline required to complete the project, these are only rarely granted to sophomores and are most often granted to juniors and seniors. Between six and seven students each season are granted Independent Projects. |
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| Q. | What is the background of Thacher athletic coaches? | | A. | The vast majority (11 of 13) of our varsity coaches played their sport at the college level. Many earned All-American and All-Conference distinctions and some have even played at the professional level. All of our coaches, regardless of the level that they coach, have played their sport at a competitive level and most pursue further education in their sports through summer clinics or mentoring. Thacher works very hard to hire the most talented and experienced coaches possible in order to provide athletes with a superior experience. |
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| Q. | How competitive are Thacher sports? What preparation is available for playing sports in college? | | A. | Thacher sports are as competitive as players want them to be. There is a level appropriate to all students' desires and experiences. Our very top athletes go on to play college athletics. These students will help with guidance on training, competing, suggesting summer skills camps, and contacting college coaches in support of athletes' candidacy. |
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| Q. | How often do sports teams have games and against whom do they compete? | | A. | Typically, teams have games on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons to allow for traveling time to the various schools against whom we compete. Those include the Condor League schools (Cate, Ojai Valley School, Dunn, Midland, Laguna Blanca, and Besant Hill) as well as other independent and public schools. Varsity teams that compete against bigger public and private schools also have additional games during the course of the week. |
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Horses & Camping Programs | Q. | Will students who have no horse experience be at a disadvantage? | | A. | Most of our students have no previous riding experience before arriving at Thacher’s barns. Members of the Horse Department know this and spend much of the fall patiently teaching the skills needed to care for horses and to ride effectively. By the end of the year, students are astounded at the level of horsemanship that possess from a year of hard work and discipline at the barns every afternoon. |
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| Q. | Do students bring their own horses? | | A. | Students do not bring their own horses; we provide school-owned horse (we have about 120). Thacher’s Western-based horse program is unique to other boarding schools, and for many students it presents both the biggest challenge and the most meaningful success during their Thacher careers. |
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| Q. | Talk about the camping program. What happens for students who have never camped before? | | A. | Thacher’s camping trips are often the most memorable moments of students’ lives here. As with the Horse Program, most students arrive with very little real camping experience. Ninth graders are introduced gently to camping, beginning with a four-day trip to Thacher’s High Sierra encampment in the Golden Trout Wilderness. There, they learn the basics of camping from what to bring and what to leave at home to building shelter, from lighting stoves and fires to preparing a meal in the backcountry, as well as reading maps and compasses. A lot of time focuses on teaching impact-free camping and responsible backcountry behavior. With each successive camping trip, students grow more confident and more skilled, until they, themselves, are helping to lead trips as juniors and seniors. As students become more confident and experienced, they are able to choose from a wide variety of trips each fall and spring including horsepacking, kayaking, and backpacking. Trips range from “easy” to “moderate” to “challenging;” students choose trips that suit their comfort levels. By the end of four years, Thacher students are competent, confident, and competent in the wilderness. |
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| Q. | What kind of camping trips are offered? | | A. | We offer every kind of camping trip imaginable, from climbing Mount Whitney at 12,000 feet to kayaking on Lake Mead, from horse camping in the Sespe Wilderness to moderate or strenuous backpacking trips in a wide variety of wilderness locales. There is something for every level of camper. |
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| Q. | What happens on the weekends? What do students do on Friday and Saturday nights? | | A. | Thacher offers dynamic weekend activities designed to reinforce our commitment to a seven-day boarding program. Each Friday and Saturday night during the year a variety of social events are available for all students. Friday nights are typically reserved for speakers, musical concerts, and other cultural events that appeal to the whole Community. Following this, there are often dormitory open houses,all-school dodge ball games, and other fun, stress-relieving activities that help students and faculty to unwind together. On Saturdays, we offer buses to the town of Ojai so that students can go out to lunch, get groceries, take in a movie, or just get away from campus for a few hours. Once or twice per semester we offer off-campus evening options, such as trips to an ice-skating rink or to downtown Santa Barbara. There’s also the standard high school fare of dances, movies, and theme parties in the dorms. One highlight of every weekend is the Saturday Night Open House at the Head’s house, where faculty, students, parents, faculty children, (and even a few dogs!) show up to bake cookies, dance, play games, do puzzles, snack on salsa and cheese dip, play pingpong—you name it! It is the cornerstone of our weekend program because there is a place for everyone, and adults and students relax and play together in a warm, family atmosphere. |
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| Q. | What about the food? What is Formal Dinner? | | A. | Thacher is lucky to have outstanding food services. Every informal meal offers extensive choices so that even the pickiest eater can find something nutritious and satisfying. Our food service director continually solicits comments and suggestions and works with both students and faculty to offer healthy yet desirable meals in the dining hall. We have required Formal Dinner four nights a week—boys wear coat and tie, girls wear dresses or nice slacks—in which students are assigned to a faculty table and they take turns serving the meal during the course of the week. In an era where sit-down family meals are on the decline, we have opted to keep this tradition alive because it’s important for students and faculty to eat together, make polite conversation, and demonstrate good manners and etiquette. |
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| Q. | What happens when students get sick? | | A. | Thacher's on-campus Health Center is staffed 24 hours a day by registered nurses. When sick, students go to the Health Center for evaluation and treatment. If a doctor visit is necessary, the Health Center staff makes arrangements for appointments and rides. In every case of sickness or injury, parents are informed immediately. Students who are too sick to stay in the dorm sleep in our 7-bed Health Center until they are well enough to return to classes. Thacher also has several therapists and a psychiatrist on staff to help with any emotional issues that arise. |
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| Q. | Describe dorm life. How are the dorms arranged? Do students have roommates? | | A. | Dormitories are arranged by grade and gender for ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders. Due to the various leadership roles that seniors hold, they are housed across campus in the various dormitories. All ninth graders have single rooms; because we feel that life at boarding school is challenging in these first months away from home, we like students to have a place that is entirely theirs, and to which they can retreat for a bit of privacy. In general, sophomores have roommates. It is important for all students to have the experience of sharing a room with someone else in order to learn about getting along in close quarters and being respectful of one another. Juniors have single rooms, as do most seniors, unless they prefer to have a roommate and request it. Senior Prefects help to supervise and run the dormitories. They serve as friends, role models, and counselors to other students. They also organize regular dorm activities. Faculty members live in or near each dormitory and regularly participate in dorm events. |
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| Q. | Whom do students go to with a problem? Do students have a point person on campus? | | A. | In addition to the Prefects, seven or eight teachers work in each of the dormitories as advisors. Each student is assigned an advisor at the beginning of the year. The advisor serves as the student’s advocate, confidante, and friend as well as the main contact for parents. Advisors meet their advisees often to talk about classes, dorm life, sports or riding, and just generally to check in and make sure all is well. Advisors also routinely host students in their homes for dinner or snacks and to watch an occasional movie. Advisors are the best person to seek assistance from for resolving issues. In some cases, students may feel more comfortable approaching a Dorm Head, teacher, coach, nurse, or administrator—and that is absolutely appropriate, as well. What’s important is that each student develops a relationship with an adult on campus to speak with in times of stress, sadness, or other difficulties that may arise. During the course of four years at Thacher, students and faculty become very close and develop friendships and mentorships that last well beyond the teenage years. |
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| Q. | When may students go home? | | A. | hacher does not have a set number of open or closed weekends, as some boarding schools do. Instead, students commit to our seven-day program and take advantage of the many exciting and dynamic weekend activities we have available. In addition to our regular weekend program, we offer two- or three-day camping, kayaking, climbing, and horsepacking trips almost every weekend. We urge all students to try these at least once each year. Saturday sports games and horse requirements also demand that students remain on campus during some weekends. Yet, we do understand the need for students to go home, connect with their families, and have a bit of a break from the exciting, yet hectic pace of life at Thacher. After the first six weeks, new students are free to go home any weekend that they do not have on-campus commitments. For all weekends home, students are allowed to leave after their last obligation on Friday and must return by 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. |
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| Q. | How does Thacher build a comfortable community within each dorm? | | A. | We begin building community even before students arrive on campus! Prefects, Advisors, and Dorm Heads write to new students over the summer to welcome them and to lay out expectations and ideas for the year. On arrival day, many activities are designed to make students feel at home and comfortable, including regular meetings each week within prefect groups and within the whole dormitory to talk, laugh, relax, and discuss issues. Dorm life at Thacher is warm, caring, and completely supportive. |
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| Q. | What kind of program does Thacher offer in terms of drug and alcohol education, sexuality, nutrition, stress, and other personal issues? | | A. | A comprehensive Human Relations and Sexuality program spans the four years, combining talks and discussions of age-appropriate issues. We begin quite simply in the ninth grade with discussions about getting along with others, nutrition, homesickness, caring for oneself away from home, and other topics that may arise during the course of the year. For sophomores, we take a great deal of time to talk about tolerance, sexuality, and relationships in small-group settings. We also focus on drug and alcohol education and prevention. For juniors, we focus on leadership and learning to become a leader. Seniors focus on making the transition to college including discussions on binge drinking, sexual assault, and depression and other mood disorders. For a more comprehensive syllabus of this program, please contact our Dean of Students. |
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| Q. | Describe a typical Thacher day. | | A. | Students who have horses must muck the stalls,feed, and do barn jobs by 8:00. After that, students have mandatory breakfast check-in at 8:15. (We feel it’s important that students eat something before embarking on a busy day.) Classes go until 3:10 and then students proceed to their afternoon activities: sports, horses, or outdoor program. At 5:05, students have free time to shower, study, or just hang around. Four nights a week we have Formal Dinner, a sit-down meal where faculty and students share both food andthe highlights of the day. Study hours are from 7:30 until 9:30, and then, after a brief break at 9:30, the students check back into their dorms for the evening at 10:00 p.m. Lights out follows at differenttimes for the various classes. The days are busy and full making a good night’s sleep essential.
You should also see our "A Day in the Life" section. |
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| Q. | How do students get to and from the airport when traveling? | | A. | Thacher offers buses and vans to each area airport at the beginning and end of every vacation. Our Dean of Students works directly with students to make these arrangements. |
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| Q. | How often may parents visit their child(ren)? | | A. | We welcome parents to campus as often as they wish to come! Thacher families are always welcome at sporting events, in the dining hall, at lectures and concerts, or just to spend some unstructured time with their daughters and sons. We only ask that parents not take students out overnight during the school week and if taking students out for a weeknight dinner, that students return for study hours at 7:30. |
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