History

Early Days

Menlo School has its origins as a military school, the William Warren School, begun in 1915 with an initial enrollment of 13 boys.

In 1924, Mr. Warren, the founding headmaster, sold the school to a group of interested parents who sought a fresh identity: thus the Menlo School for boys was incorporated and the military program dropped.

Three years later, in 1927, Menlo became a non-profit institution governed by a newly formed board of trustees. Also at that time a two-year college was established as an integral part of the School. (In 1949 a four-year undergraduate School of Business and Administration was added to the College.)

Changing Times

The School underwent a significant change between 1979 and 1981 when the Upper School changed from being a boarding school for boys to a coed day school. During 1993-94, Menlo again experienced several significant changes intended to ensure its future as a successful independent school; chief among these changes was an increase in the Upper School’s enrollment, the addition of grade 6 to the Middle School, and change to a coed enrollment in grades 6, 7 and 8.

The College and School formally separated on June 30, 1994. The School and College now are entirely independent entities, each with its own board, administration and faculty. While we continue to occupy the same 62-acre campus, each institution occupies a distinct segment of the campus; nonetheless, the School and College continue to share athletic facilities and the dining hall.

Still Growing

In the last decade, new construction has dramatically transformed the campus of Menlo School. Douglass Hall, which had been shut down after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, was renovated, and renamed the Stent Family Hall. It has become not only the central administrative building--complete with a new school library and Upper School student center--but also an architectural landmark in the larger Menlo Park and Atherton community.

Finally, 2005 saw the completion of the new Upper School academic quad and Martin Hall. The Upper School Director and the college counseling staff have new office suites. The Science Department has state-of-the-art and discipline-specific (physics, chemistry, and biology) classrooms that are combined with lab space. Science also has innovative departmental office space designed to promote faculty collaboration. Foreign Language has classrooms devoted to the instruction of a specific language and four individual offices for faculty members who share classrooms. The Math, English, and History Departments have individual offices for each department member. Their classrooms are spatially generous and designed for the eventual installation of teaching technology, including SmartBoards. Twenty classrooms already have this new technology.

Plans are under way to complete the Menlo School campus with a new gymnasium and arts center. Stay tuned for more information as details become available!