York School

Since 1959, York School has created an exceptional college-prep experience for our youth:

• inspiring them to develop intellectual curiosity
• challenging them to create and try new things
• preparing them to be passionate contributors in college and life

At the base of this experience is the strong and welcoming York community. The 225 students in grades 8-12 join us from public and independent middle schools in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties and around the world. The faculty, who set high standards for their students and themselves, bring enthusiasm and expertise to their classes to connect with and mentor each student. Combining this with opportunities to participate in sports, arts, travel, and service-learning leads to an outstanding high school experience.

York School is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the California Association of Independent Schools. York is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Independent Curriculum Group. York School admits students of any race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities available to students at the SchoolSchool, and the SchoolSchool does not discriminate based on these factors in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid program, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

Our students benefit from individualized attention and small class sizes in a challenging college preparatory curriculum that produces a record of success in SchoolSchool, in work, in further academic pursuits, and life. We believe that a small school is an optimal environment for students to grow and learn and experience a community that is intentional in its diversity. At York, each student is known and cared for, challenged, and nurtured.

The York learning experience does not stop at the classroom door. It extends to the playing field, the art studio, and the performance stage. Students benefit from exposure to new ideas, cultures, and individuals in socio-economically, ethnically, and religiously diverse community.

We inspire and prepare a diverse community of creative, independent thinkers. We believe teaching and empowering students to be curious, ask questions, and engage in conversation prepares them for higher education and fulfilling lives. With an open and inquisitive mindset, York Students can discover the most about themselves and the world.

We believe having a student body and faculty diverse in talents, viewpoints, and backgrounds creates the highest-quality learning experience while fostering local and global connections. Students learn from their classmates' and teachers' experiences, heritages, and stories and push their understanding through this exposure to multiple perspectives and voices.

To support our well-rounded community, a robust need-based tuition assistance program helps approximately 40% of our students, more than twice the national average for independent schools. York accepts students based on personal and academic merit – applying for tuition assistance does not affect the admission decision.

We believe our actions should be guided by the following principles: honesty, respect, responsibility, and compassion. Valuing these principles creates and encourages an open dialogue where students feel safe to express new ideas, new arguments, and new passions.

We believe in being environmentally conscious consumers and producers. About 50% of our energy needs are met through solar power blocks found on rooftops around campus. The students and faculty are encouraged to print less, using online resources like Google Drive and Haiku LMS to submit papers and assignments. In 2008, York was the first SchoolSchool to be named a Monterey County Green Business. In part because of the construction of our environmentally sustainable Science Building, which was the first green building in Monterey County with 25+ elements of environmentally-sensitive, sustainable technology. Our daily "work job" tradition gets students involved in sustainable practices like recycling, resource conservation, and natural habitat restoration.