At A Glance

Menlo School is a college preparatory institution committed to a traditional academic curriculum, high standards, small classes and extensive extracurricular activities.

Nearly all Menlo graduates continue their studies at four-year colleges, many among the most selective in the country. Menlo attracts students from families as far north as San Francisco, as far south as San Jose, as far east as Fremont/Union City, and as far west as Half Moon Bay. A growing financial aid program allows Menlo to attract students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. The parent organizations, the Menlo School Association (MSA) and the Middle School Menlo School Association (MS-MSA) are actively involved as support groups to the School.

The close relationship between faculty and students defines much of Menlo’s distinctive character. Faculty and students enjoy each other and routinely search out opportunities to associate with each other.

The formal classroom is only the most obvious setting for the rich interactions between students and their teachers. The playing fields, the stage, clubs, student government, the advocacy program and other extracurricular opportunities all allow students and staff to interact with each other in varied settings, ranging from the formally academic to the casually social.

Menlo believes that students should be encouraged to monitor their own behavior and to take ever-greater responsibility for their own progress, both as learners and as members of the school community. Rather than relying on a corpus of rules to define appropriate action, the School prefers to promote self-government, inner-directedness, and an awareness of one’s obligations to the community.