Fast Facts

• 215 Boarders and 20 Day Students, with equal numbers of boys and girls.
• 43% of Thacher boarders come from beyond California representing 26 states.
• 10% hail from countries other than the United States, including Australia, Canada, China, England, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Swaziland.
• The remainder of Thacher's students come from over 70 different towns or cities within California.
• 34% are students of color.
• Of the new students entering Thacher in the fall of 2008, 42% come from public schools and 58% from private schools. 24%  come from schools that do not rank their students. Of the remaining students, 90 percent are in the top 25% of their class.
• The median SSAT score for this year's incoming students is in the 83th percentile (independent school norms).
• 30% receive financial aid.

Typically, ninth graders take five classes in the fall—English, math, physics, language, and arts (drama, music, and studio), then add history beginning in January. After the ninth grade, students take anywhere from five to six solid classes.

In math and language, students are automatically placed at a higher level if they have the background and ability to take upper level courses. If you have a special ability or the need for an advanced class in any area, we will find a way to provide you with the academic challenge that you desire. Because Thacher is a small school, we are often able to teach courses that wouldn’t normally be offered when a small number of students are qualified.

Students may pursue two languages on the condition that the courses fit into the academic schedule and that the students can sustain the work load. Many of our students do just this. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors may take more than one science course as long as conforms with their busy schedules.

Our philosophy regarding athletics is simple and is based on the belief that physical exercise is an important part of any education. Each student participates in an afternoon activity during each of the three yearly seasons. That activity can be a traditional sport, riding, or one of the Outdoor Program options (kayaking or rock climbing). We want students to get out and participate to the best of their ability and have fun. From those who aspire to college athletics to those who are more reluctant about organized sports, there is a place for each person and level of ability. We hope that Thacher students leave with the lasting impression that physical activity is good for the mind, body, and soul.

Although all entering ninth graders must complete one year of the Horse Program, Thacher offers all freshmen the opportunity to play on sports teams provided that they meet their weekly horse requirements. Several “freshmen-only” teams meet two or three times weekly for practice and games. Freshmen can also play on JV level and Varsity teams if they meet the qualifications. The vast majority of our ninth graders choose to participate in sports throughout the year in addition to riding. Students who enter as sophomores or juniors need complete only one season of riding during their time at Thacher which can be done anytime before the senior year.

For a small school, Thacher has a wide range of athletic opportunities at every level. We offer 13 varsity sports for both girls and boys. Varsity programs are for students who have achieved a certain range of success within a given sport and wish to compete at a highly competitive level. Top athletes often go on to compete at the college level. We also offer each of our sports at the JV level for students who would like to become more proficient and work on their skills. Several sports also offer a Third Team option, which is more participation-oriented and is for student who like to learn and build skills while having fun, but would prefer a lower level of interscholastic competition. We welcome the most experienced of athletes as well as those who have never participated in organized sports. Everyone must participate on at least one athletic team before graduating.

After students have completed their horse requirement and the one-season team sport requirement, they may apply for an Independent Afternoon Project. This program allows students with a particular talent or field of interest to pursue that endeavor at a higher, more individualized level. Due the independent nature of such projects and the responsibility and self-discipline required to complete the project, these are only rarely granted to sophomores and are most often granted to juniors and seniors. Between six and seven students each season are granted Independent Projects.

The vast majority (11 of 13) of our varsity coaches played their sport at the college level. Many earned All-American and All-Ivy distinctions and some have even played at the professional level. All of our coaches, regardless of the level that they coach, have played their sport at a competitive level and most pursue further education in their sports through summer clinics or mentoring. Thacher works very hard to hire the most talented and experienced coaches possible in order to provide athletes with a superior experience.

Thacher sports are as competitive as players want them to be. There is a level appropriate to all students' desires and experiences. Our very top athletes go on to play college athletics. These students will help with guidance on training, competing, suggesting summer skills camps, and contacting college coaches in support of athletes' candidacy.

Typically, teams have games on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons to allow for traveling time to the various schools against whom we compete. Those include the Condor League schools (Cate, Ojai Valley School, Dunn, Midland, Laguna Blanca, and Besant Meadow) as well as other independent and public schools. Varsity teams that compete against bigger public and private schools also have additional games during the course of the week.

Most of our students have no previous riding experience before arriving at Thacher’s barns. Members of the Horse Department know this and spend much of the fall patiently teaching the skills needed to care for horses and to ride effectively. By the end of the year, students are astounded at the level of horsemanship that possess from a year of hard work and discipline at the barns every afternoon. Students do not bring their own horses; we provide school-owned horse (we have about 120). Thacher’s Western-based horse program is unique to other boarding schools, and for many students it presents both the biggest challenge and the most meaningful success during their Thacher careers.

Thacher’s camping trips are often the most memorable moments of students’ lives here. As with the Horse Program, most students arrive with very little real camping experience. Ninth graders are introduced gently to camping, beginning with a four-day trip to Thacher’s High Sierra encampment in the Golden Trout Wilderness. There, they learn the basics of camping from what to bring and what to leave at home to building shelter, from lighting stoves and fires to preparing a meal in the backcountry, as well as reading maps and compasses. A lot of time focuses on teaching impact-free camping and responsible backcountry behavior. With each successive camping trip, students grow more confident and more skilled, until they, themselves, are helping to lead trips as juniors and seniors. As students become more confident and experienced, they are able to choose from a wide variety of trips each fall and spring including horsepacking, kayaking, and backpacking. Trips range from “easy” to “moderate” to “challenging;” students choose trips that suit their comfort levels. By the end of four years, Thacher students are competent, confident, and competent in the wilderness.

We offer every kind of camping trip imaginable, from climbing Mount Whitney at 12,000 feet to kayaking on Lake Mead, from horse camping in the Sespe Wilderness to moderate or strenuous backpacking trips in a wide variety of wilderness locales. There is something for every level of camper.

Thacher offers dynamic weekend activities designed to reinforce our commitment to a seven-day boarding program. Each Friday and Saturday night during the year a variety of social events are available for all students. Friday nights are typically reserved for speakers, musical concerts, and other cultural events that appeal to the whole Community. Following this, there are often dormitory open houses,all-school dodge ball games, and other fun, stress-relieving activities that help students and faculty to unwind together. On Saturdays, we offer buses to the town of Ojai so that students can go out to lunch, get groceries, take in a movie, or just get away from campus for a few hours. Once or twice per semester we offer off-campus evening options, such as trips to an ice-skating rink or to downtown Santa Barbara. There’s also the standard high school fare of dances, movies, and theme parties in the dorms. One highlight of every weekend is the Saturday Night Open House at the Head’s house, where faculty, students, parents, faculty children, (and even a few dogs!) show up to bake cookies, dance, play games, do puzzles, snack on salsa and cheese dip, play pingpong—you name it! It is the cornerstone of our weekend program because there is a place for everyone, and adults and students relax and play together in a warm, family atmosphere.

Thacher is lucky to have outstanding food services. Every informal meal offers extensive choices so that even the pickiest eater can find something nutritious and satisfying. Our food service director continually solicits comments and suggestions and works with both students and faculty to offer healthy yet desirable meals in the dining hall. We have required Formal Dinner four nights a week—boys wear coat and tie, girls wear dresses or nice slacks—in which students are assigned to a faculty table and they take turns serving the meal during the course of the week. In an era where sit-down family meals are on the decline, we have opted to keep this tradition alive because it’s important for students and faculty to eat together, make polite conversation, and demonstrate good manners and etiquette.

Thacher's on-campus Health Center is staffed 24 hours a day by registered nurses. When sick, students go to the Health Center for evaluation and treatment. If a doctor visit is necessary, the Health Center staff makes arrangements for appointments and rides. In every case of sickness or injury, parents are informed immediately. Students who are too sick to stay in the dorm sleep in our 7-bed Health Center until they are well enough to return to classes. Thacher also has several therapists and a psychiatrist on staff to help with any emotional issues that arise.

Dormitories are arranged by grade and gender for ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders. Due to the various leadership roles that seniors hold, they are housed across campus in the various dormitories. All ninth graders have single rooms; because we feel that life at boarding school is challenging in these first months away from home, we like students to have a place that is entirely theirs, and to which they can retreat for a bit of privacy. In general, sophomores have roommates. It is important for all students to have the experience of sharing a room with someone else in order to learn about getting along in close quarters and being respectful of one another. Juniors have single rooms, as do most seniors, unless they prefer to have a roommate and request it. Senior Prefects help to supervise and run the dormitories. They serve as friends, role models, and counselors to other students. They also organize regular dorm activities. Faculty members live in or near each dormitory and regularly participate in dorm events.

In addition to the Prefects, seven or eight teachers work in each of the dormitories as advisors. Each student is assigned an advisor at the beginning of the year. The advisor serves as the student’s advocate, confidante, and friend as well as the main contact for parents. Advisors meet their advisees often to talk about classes, dorm life, sports or riding, and just generally to check in and make sure all is well. Advisors also routinely host students in their homes for dinner or snacks and to watch an occasional movie. Advisors are the best person to seek assistance from for resolving issues. In some cases, students may feel more comfortable approaching a Dorm Head, teacher, coach, nurse, or administrator—and that is absolutely appropriate, as well. What’s important is that each student develops a relationship with an adult on campus to speak with in times of stress, sadness, or other difficulties that may arise. During the course of four years at Thacher, students and faculty become very close and develop friendships and mentorships that last well beyond the teenage years.

Thacher does not have a set number of open or closed weekends, as some boarding schools do. Instead, students commit to our seven-day program and take advantage of the many exciting and dynamic weekend activities we have available. In addition to our regular weekend program, we offer two- or three-day camping, kayaking, climbing, and horsepacking trips almost every weekend. We urge all students to try these at least once each year. Saturday sports games and horse requirements also demand that students remain on campus during some weekends. Yet, we do understand the need for students to go home, connect with their families, and have a bit of a break from the exciting, yet hectic pace of life at Thacher. After the first six weeks, new students are free to go home any weekend that they do not have on-campus commitments. For all weekends home, students are allowed to leave after their last obligation on Friday and must return by 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

We begin building community even before students arrive on campus! Prefects, Advisors, and Dorm Heads write to new students over the summer to welcome them and to lay out expectations and ideas for the year. On arrival day, many activities are designed to make students feel at home and comfortable, including regular meetings each week within prefect groups and within the whole dormitory to talk, laugh, relax, and discuss issues. Dorm life at Thacher is warm, caring, and completely supportive.

A comprehensive Human Relations and Sexuality program spans the four years, combining talks and discussions of age-appropriate issues. We begin quite simply in the ninth grade with discussions about getting along with others, nutrition, homesickness, caring for oneself away from home, and other topics that may arise during the course of the year. For sophomores, we take a great deal of time to talk about tolerance, sexuality, and relationships in small-group settings. We also focus on drug and alcohol education and prevention. For juniors, we focus on leadership and learning to become a leader. Seniors focus on making the transition to college including discussions on binge drinking, sexual assault, and depression and other mood disorders. For a more comprehensive syllabus of this program, please contact our Dean of Students.

Students who have horses must muck the stalls,feed, and do barn jobs by 8:00. After that, students have mandatory breakfast check-in at 8:15. (We feel it’s important that students eat something before embarking on a busy day.) Classes go until 3:10 and then students proceed to their afternoon activities: sports, horses, or outdoor program. At 5:05, students have free time to shower, study, or just hang around. Four nights a week we have Formal Dinner, a sit-down meal where faculty and students share both food andthe highlights of the day. Study hours are from 7:30 until 9:30, and then, after a brief break at 9:30, the students check back into their dorms for the evening at 10:00 p.m. Lights out follows at differenttimes for the various classes. The days are busy and full making a good night’s sleep essential.

You should also see our "A Day in the Life" section.