College Prep School / Boarding School in Los Angeles area

Dunn School, Santa Barbara area:
Located approximately 30 miles northeast of Santa Barbara, in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley in southern California, Dunn School is a college preparatory day & boarding school with a focus on developing each student's academic and personal potential.

Upper School:

English
The English Department offers a four-year sequential program that is designed to develop a student's abilities in reading, writing, speaking and listening to the English language. At all four grade levels (9 through 12) the students read fiction, non-fiction, drama and poetry of an appropriately increasing sophistication and intellectual challenge.

Likewise, the integrated writing program leads the student through the stages of the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising and editing) in a manner commensurate with his or her maturity and potential, exploring a wide range of genres.

History/Social Science
The goal of the History Department is to develop within each student a desire for learning about the past and a curiosity about the world, its peoples and civilizations.

Students investigate their roles in society while gaining insight into their rights and responsibilities. By developing the process of understanding, thought and the expression of ideas or viewpoints in a variety of ways, each student may become a more knowledgeable and responsible citizen of the world community.
 
Science
The Science Department is divided along the traditional lines of physical science and life science, reflecting the organization of subject matter at a college-preparatory level. All science courses are laboratory qualified and the numerous experiments emulate scientific discovery and aim at firing a student's imagination and curiosity. Emphasis is placed on lab report writing, problem solving, logical deduction and the group approach to scientific analysis.
 
Mathematics
The goal of the mathematics department is to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of all students, recognizing that they will spend their adult lives in a society increasingly dominated by technology and quantitative methods.

Foreign Languages
The Foreign Language Department favors a communicative approach, with an emphasis on listening comprehension and speaking. The goal is to make students independent users of the foreign language and, at the same time, heighten their understanding of cultural differences.

Arts
All Dunn students are encouraged to discover and develop their interests and talents in music, art, and drama. To ensure that each student has an opportunity to explore this aspect of their education, the Fine and Performing Arts Program at Dunn offers students a broad spectrum of artistic experiences and opportunities from saxophone to ceramics to multimedia. A selection of beginning, intermediate, and AP courses are offered in each discipline to accommodate and encourage all levels.

Middle School:
With over 10 years of classroom experience our teachers bring a passion for learning that burns brightly. Ultimately learning is a personal matter. The superior quality of academics and enrichment at DMS stems directly from the high personal standards and inquiring minds of its teachers. Our unique community of teachers has these essential qualities:

- Effective governance: Our staff meets around one small table to make decisions.
- Academic rigor: Small classes and teacher commitment forge a bold "skills driven" curriculum.
- Extensive Arts and Enrichment: DMS offers arts and enrichment of unrivaled breadth and depth.
- Respect: Students, teachers and parents all know each other well enough expect respect and trust.
- Accountability: Students do not slip through the cracks; they are held accountable for every assignment and for their behavior on a daily basis.
- Parent involvement: Our parents are allies for the common cause of educating their children. They readily communicate their concerns and ideas and participate in the education.
- Belonging: Every DMS student is a known and cherished entity and are thus nurtured.