Manzanita School, a WASC-accredited K-12 independent college preparatory school nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, has announced that admissions are open for the Fall 2026-27 academic year. Prospective families can submit an inquiry or application through the admissions portal linked from the school's website. This announcement comes as the school continues to distinguish itself among California's college preparatory schools with an outdoor curriculum, blending rigorous academics with immersive environmental study on its 21-acre Big Rock Ranch campus.
The school's unique indoor-outdoor learning model is organized into four cohorts: Seeds (Forest Kindergarten through second grade), Roots (third through fifth), Trunk (sixth through eighth), and Branches (ninth through twelfth). Starting in third grade, students experience three days of traditional classroom instruction, called 'Owl Days,' balanced with two days of hands-on learning on the land, known as 'Hawk Days.' This approach, according to the school, fosters whole-child development by integrating land stewardship, local ecology, and experiential learning into the core curriculum.
Manzanita's creative curriculum spans English Language Arts, Core Science-Humanities, Mathematics, The Arts, Nature Connection, Stewardship, and Expeditionary Learning. All students participate in overnight expeditions that reinforce their studies, with destinations including Joshua Tree National Park, Quail Springs Permaculture Farm, and the Cottonwood Lakes area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These trips are designed to build group cohesion and provide real-world context for academic concepts.
Central to the school's environmental education is the Living Classroom, a working permaculture farm where organic produce is grown for school lunches and snacks. Students engage in animal care and regenerative agriculture as part of their stewardship studies, learning sustainability firsthand. The Forest Kindergarten, launched in Fall 2021, offers an entirely outdoor early education experience, grounded in research on how young children best develop confidence, curiosity, and interpersonal skills.
Class sizes remain intentionally small—12 to 14 students in the Seeds program and about 14 in older grades—ensuring personalized attention. The school day runs from 8:30 a.m. for all grades. A current parent quoted on the school's website praises the school for providing 'the ideal educational environment for our children, each of whom has different learning styles and needs,' highlighting the depth of studies that foster big-picture thinking.
Manzanita School was founded in 2013 and is located at 1717 Old Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, California. Its campus features classroom spaces, arts and sports facilities, native flora, extensive trails, and the permaculture farm. For more information, visit www.manzanitaschool.org.
