Midland School, located on a 2,860-acre ranch in Santa Barbara County, is the leader in place-based, experiential education. Everything we do—from how we maintain our co-ed campus to the way we feed ourselves to the rigorous courses we teach—originates from an intentional curriculum that focuses not only on high-caliber college-preparatory classes, but also on true leadership, intentional community, and environmental stewardship.
HOW TO DEVELOP A LOVE OF LEARNING:
Learn with faculty
The learning environment at Midland extends beyond the classroom to the outdoors, farm, kitchen, and campus. All adults are teachers and guides who partner with students in exploring and caring for our place while working together and honing their craft in the jobs program, on projects, on trails, in athletics, and at meals.
Think critically
Midland students are challenged and supported to observe and read closely, to synthesize information, and to use evidence to craft arguments. Across disciplines, we cultivate effective communication skills—written and spoken. Students practice quantitative and scientific reasoning while also exploring a diversity of cultures, identities, and ideas. Not only do Midland students think, they also identify problems that need solving and they act, using appropriate available resources.
Never settle
At Midland, every student is known, valued, and needed. A mark of Midland students is that they’re more resourceful, responsible, and adventurous than typical teenagers. Just as Midland students develop internal motivation to finish each job strong in the dining hall, dish house, or shower fire, they also work through multiple drafts and iterations in their writing and research.
Stay curious
With a program built around caring for our place and each other, students develop their inner resources and know they can contribute anywhere. Committed to experiential and lifelong learning motivated by the interests of students and faculty, our schedule offers dedicated weekly blocks that expose students to activities, places, perspectives, voices, and modalities that open new frames of experience, both on and off campus.