Why Thacher?

The Thacher School is anything but typical. Everything we do here is guided by a set of deeply held convictions that add up to the simple truth that high school can and should be a thrilling adventure.

It’s no secret that students pay more attention and get more involved in their learning when coursework connects to something more meaningful than a textbook problem set.

Thacher’s curriculum is deeply rooted in this philosophy, meaning courses are built around giving students opportunities to ask and explore questions that don’t have known answers, as well as take on complex real-world problems without obvious solutions.

In fact, our location makes Thacher an ideal lab for this kind of hands-on, applied learning across the STEM curriculum and beyond, with a unique chaparral ecosystem, dark night skies, and proximity to local environmental initiatives all at our fingertips. At the state-of-the-art Thacher Observatory, students put their knowledge of astronomy, physics, and computer programming to use while collaborating on real-world research projects—and even contributing to published scientific research. Just down the road, biology and chemistry students help test and maintain aquatic habitats at the internationally regarded Turtle Sanctuary. Students studying veterinary medicine engage in hands-on work with the school’s herd of horses, as well as the hogs and chickens that are among the many student-driven Environmental Sustainability initiatives on campus.

The goal is to engage students in driving and animating their own course of learning, and encouraging them to follow their genuine interests, curiosity, and questions toward new and meaningful horizons.
Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students: The Thacher School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other School-administered programs.