Our mission for 30 years has been “to discover the gifts in every child.”

When Nan Hunter founded Almaden Country School in 1982, she realized “a mother’s dream” — establishing a new type of school, where teachers shape instruction according to the students' individual learning styles, and where children experience joy in learning.

This instructional philosophy is proven by every measure of success over the past three decades:

• ACS students excel academically. Our eighth graders consistently average about 90 percent on the SAT10 and the rigorous Catholic High School Admission tests.
• ACS graduates are well-rounded. In addition to academics, each year the children at ACS perform 13 full-length drama productions, earn distinction in local art and music events and collectively dedicate more than 500 hours of community service.
• ACS eighth grade students consistently secure admission to top high schools, including Archbishop Mitty High School, Bellarmine College Preparatory, Kehillah Jewish High School, Notre Dame High School, Oakwood High School, Presentation High School and St. Francis High School.

More important, when you visit ACS, you will see that our students love school! Whether they are acting an inspired role in a school play, performing a hands-on science experiment in our garden or participating in our robotics program, joy of learning is palpable here.

Children will find success at ACS since there are so many opportunities to try and our teachers look for ways every student can shine. This is the ACS mission and we make certain it happens — one child at a time.

While ACS graduates go on to thrive in the selective high schools and colleges to which they aspire, our goal is to deepen learning, not accelerate it. The success of ACS students is a byproduct rather than the aim of our instructional design. We are proud of the achievements our students earn every year; however, we believe that great schools are measured not by the accomplishments of their students, but by the lives their alumni live.

Our purpose as a school is clear: we want children to succeed in their educational, social, and personal endeavors, and we want them to be fulfilled during the journey. In the process, our students grow into delightful young people: considerate, concerned, confident and ready to make significant contributions to the world-at-large.

At Almaden Country School, we prepare children to live extraordinary lives.

Dr. Olaf Jorgenson
Head of School