As screens, AI and digital tools become more deeply embedded in daily life, schools are facing a more nuanced question than whether to use technology at all: when does it enhance learning, and when does it get in the way?
We asked private schools across Marin and the Bay Area, along with schools in Washington and Hawai‘i, how they are approaching technology in the classroom, what philosophies shape their academic programs and how they support students with different learning needs. The answers vary widely. Some schools keep screens almost entirely out of the classroom, especially in the early years, while others introduce devices, digital media and artificial intelligence with increasing intention as students get older.
In the Q&A that follows, school leaders share how they are finding that balance and what it looks like in practice.
Annie Wright Schools
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Annie Wright Schools, technology is a tool for learning, creativity and collaboration, not a goal in itself. In the Upper Schools, students use technology to research, create, solve problems and communicate effectively through our one-to-one laptop program. We also prioritize balance and connection: phones are not permitted during the school day and are limited in the dorms, and students learn that integrity, respect and accountability matter as much online as they do in every other aspect of school life.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
At Annie Wright Schools, every student is known, challenged and supported as an individual. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, we foster curiosity, critical thinking and a global perspective while encouraging students to take intellectual risks and learn from them. Our approach to education develops the whole child, nurturing academic excellence alongside character, empathy and purpose.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
At Annie Wright Schools, we believe students learn best when their academic, social, emotional, and physical needs are supported. Our Learning Support and Counseling teams partner with students, families and faculty to help each child build confidence, resilience, self-advocacy and independence. Through this collaborative approach, students are both challenged and supported, empowering them to reach their full potential in school and beyond.
Belvedere-Hawthorne Nursery School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Technology is not part of our curriculum. We believe young children learn best through active, hands-on experiences, open ended play, social interaction, outdoor exploration and engagement with sensory-rich, tactile materials. These experiences build the foundation for critical thinking, creativity, communication and problem solving.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Serving children ages 2 through 5, our play-based curriculum is grounded in child development research and the understanding that young children learn best through play, exploration and meaningful relationships. Through thoughtfully planned experiences, children develop the social, emotional, cognitive, language and physical skills that build a strong foundation for Kindergarten readiness and future learning.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
At Belvedere-Hawthorne Nursery Schools, our highly qualified teachers create a warm, nurturing environment where children feel safe, supported and inspired to learn. With a 6:1 child-to-teacher ratio across all programs, we are able to know each child as an individual and support their unique development. Every day, children are encouraged to explore, create, solve problems, build friendships and develop confidence and independence. Our goal is to foster a lifelong love of learning while helping every child grow into a curious, capable and compassionate learner
Brandeis Marin
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Brandeis Marin, we view technology as an intentional tool to nurture creativity and discovery. Through Project-Based Learning and an integrated curriculum, screens support collaborative projects from lower school classrooms to our Middle School Design Lab. Devices are introduced thoughtfully: iPads in grades K–3, Chromebook carts in grades 4–5, and a BYOD Chromebook program in Middle School. We are phone-free throughout the school day and partner with parents to establish community norms that protect real-world social connection, guided by universal Jewish values.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Every facet of Brandeis Marin — from academics to support services — is designed to nurture the whole child. Our innovative social-impact curriculum cultivates creativity and ethical consciousness, supporting our graduates to become leaders and agents of positive change. Our community is intellectually and morally strengthened when many different voices, viewpoints and backgrounds learn with and from each other.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
Small class sizes enable teachers to connect with students and support their transformation into scholars, friends, athletes, artists and spiritual beings. When needed, our learning support team works closely with students, teachers, families and outside professionals to implement strategies tailored to each child’s needs. Cultivating a strong home/school partnership is a top priority for administrators and faculty.
Chronos Academy
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Chronos Academy students use Chromebooks, but with a “no homework policy” they remain at school and are only used for specific learning activities. In the classroom students use Chromebooks to learn math at their own pace, research for their weekly presentations, type formal essays and take standardized tests twice a year. Our “low tech” approach keeps students engaged in discussions, hands-on activities and discovery!
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Chronos Academy is an innovative, TK–8 school that integrates every subject with global history; each week is a stop on a journey through time. When gifted children are exposed to the diverse history of peoples, ideas, sciences and the arts, they thrive. They take pleasure in making their own connections to innovators who came before them and discovering the important role they play, present day. Here, precocious, driven and divergent thinkers reach their intellectual potential through activities such as connecting every lesson to a chronological timeline; memorization to music; exploration outdoors, in museums or theater and more.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
All students learn the same integrated content each week, but skills are individualized to each student’s unique learning profile. Students learn math, writing and language at their own pace in small classes of eight to 12 students. They spend at least one hour every week working one-on-one with a teacher on their personal learning goals, strengthening weaknesses or delving deeper into areas of interest, and teachers celebrate students’ progress toward mastery of each skill. Learning specialists are available on campus during the school day to meet students’ goals so that every student consistently expands their full potential.
Good Shepard Lutheran School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Technology is thoughtfully integrated to enhance learning, not replace it. Students use age-appropriate technology to develop digital literacy skills while prioritizing hands-on learning, discussion, creativity and real-world problem solving. We believe students benefit most from a balanced approach that teaches them how to use technology responsibly while preserving meaningful face-to-face interaction and active learning experiences. Students learn to use technology as a tool for learning, collaboration and creativity, developing the skills needed for success in high school and beyond.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
At GSLS, academic excellence begins with knowing each student as an individual. Small class sizes allow teachers to personalize instruction, challenge students appropriately and build the confidence that leads to meaningful learning. A strong foundation in core academics is complemented by enrichment/elective opportunities helping students become curious thinkers, creative problem-solvers and compassionate leaders. The goal is not simply to prepare students for the next grade level, but to cultivate a lifelong love of learning.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
The school’s mission comes to life through everyday interactions as much as through academics. Classrooms emphasize kindness, respect, responsibility and service alongside rigorous learning. Students are encouraged to collaborate, lead, solve problems and care for one another while engaging in meaningful learning experiences. Whether participating in service projects, mentoring younger students through the Buddy Program or taking on leadership opportunities, students learn that strong character and academic excellence go hand in hand.
Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
HPA embraces technology as a powerful tool for learning while recognizing that the most meaningful experiences often happen beyond a screen. Students use laptops, calculators, digital media, photography and emerging AI tools to research, create, solve problems and communicate their learning. At the same time, they learn to think critically about when technology enhances learning and when it is better to engage directly with people and the world around them. Across our P–12 program, each division takes a developmentally appropriate approach to personal mobile devices, creating phone-free learning environments that strengthen focus, foster authentic connection and help students develop the judgment to use technology intentionally and responsibly.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
HPA is a place to learn like nowhere else. We believe students learn best when they are known, challenged and connected to a sense of purpose. We offer a college preparatory education grounded in inquiry, projects and place. Hawaiʻi Island is not simply a backdrop for learning. It is an extension of the classroom, where students investigate meaningful questions, connect ideas across disciplines and apply their learning through research, creativity, collaboration and authentic experiences. Our goal is to develop Confident Navigators who are rooted in values, resilient and prepared to lead with purpose in an increasingly complex world.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
At HPA, support begins with relationships. Teachers, advisors and learning specialists work together to understand each student’s strengths, interests, goals and learning needs. Small learning communities make it possible to provide personalized guidance, differentiate instruction and implement accommodations when appropriate. More importantly, students are known as individuals. Through this collaborative approach, they build confidence, develop effective learning strategies and gain the skills to become increasingly independent learners.
Hiba Academy Bay Area
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
We view technology as one of many languages for learning, not a default or replacement for hands-on exploration. Screens are introduced purposefully, for documentation, research, creating digital stories and connecting with global peers, always framed by questions like “What does this help us do?” and “What might it hide?” Our aim is not fluency alone, but critical inquiry: helping children understand technology’s power and limits, so they can make conscious choices and develop agency in a changing world.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Hiba Academy Bay Area provides a dual language education — Mandarin and English — with just the right balance of academic rigor, multicultural experience, and personal wellbeing. We are part of Wellington College Education — a global network of schools.
We empower students to excel academically, and personally, through a balanced, bilingual curriculum that emphasizes academic excellence, multicultural experiences and well-being. Our goal is to equip students to make meaningful contributions, solve real-world challenges, bridge cultural divides and lead the way to a more connected world.
Our Values are Kindness, Responsibility, Respect, Courage and Integrity. Our educational Ethos emphasizes Academics, Multicultural Experiences and Personal Well-being.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
Well-being and social development are nurtured in multiple ways. We foster positive relationships between teachers and students. We take time to support every child in expressing their emotions and taking pride in self-regulation. We emphasize differentiation and getting to know the individual learning modalities of each child. We use a research-based tool called the Leuven Scale to systematically assess each child’s well-being and engagement in real time. The 1–5 scale, combined with narratives, calibrates an individual child’s authentic involvement in learning in the moment. This enables teachers to provide the right balance of challenge and support.
Lycée Français de San Francisco
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At the Lycée, we take a thoughtful, age-appropriate approach to technology. Personal devices are not permitted in Lower School, while Middle School students are provided school-issued laptops for academic use only. High Schoolers follow a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ model. Students are also taught to use technology responsibly through our Digital Citizenship program, covering topics such as online safety, media literacy and ethical AI use. This ensures technology serves learning without becoming a distraction.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
The Lycée Français de San Francisco delivers a multilingual, multicultural and academically rigorous education from preschool through high school. Grounded in the values of curiosity, respect, empathy and excellence, the school nurtures students to become thoughtful, inquisitive and compassionate global citizens.
To meet diverse learner profiles and broaden access, the Lycée offers two distinct, integrated pathways in the upper grades:
- French Track: Based on the official French national curriculum, this path leads to both the French Baccalaureate and a U.S. High School Diploma.
- International Track: This IB-powered program, requiring no prior French, culminates in a bilingual International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and a U.S. High School Diploma.
Experiential initiatives like Start’Up Lycée reinforce the school’s emphasis on real-world learning and innovation.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
The Lycée offers a personalized, inclusive support system that helps every student thrive:
- Faculty support: Teachers provide individualized guidance, including after-school homework help — especially helpful for students without bilingual support at home.
- Student support teams: Experts in learning support, speech therapy and wellness collaborate to address academic and emotional challenges.
- Social-emotional learning (SEL): As a strategic priority, SEL programs are being expanded to benefit all students.
Tailored academic pathways: A range of electives and enrichment options — including advanced math, Latin, U.S. History and the arts — allow students to explore strengths while receiving support where needed.
Marin Academy
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Marin Academy, our approach to technology is future-ready and human-centered. Across our curriculum, students engage with tools ranging from professional media and data software to 3D printers, laser cutters and emerging technologies like AI. Just as important, they learn to discern when technology deepens learning and when it gets in the way. Students approach new technologies with curiosity, think critically about their impact and make purposeful choices about how and when to use them.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Marin Academy’s mission asks our students to think, question and create. Anchoring authentic, relevant, complex learning within a joyful and inclusive community ensures our students engage with diverse perspectives and apply their learning to real-world questions. Ultimately, our graduates think independently, communicate powerfully, navigate uncertainty, and act with empathy, confidence and purpose.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
Relationships are at the heart of learning at Marin Academy. With our 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, teachers know students well and support their individual strengths and ways of learning. Learning specialists offer workshops and one-on-one support, while peer tutors and a daily tutorial block provide additional opportunities to connect with teachers, develop effective learning strategies, and work through challenges. Together, these supports help students build resilience and grow into confident, independent learners.
Marin Horizon
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Technology has a real place in how kids learn today. From digital tools that support personalized instruction to platforms that connect our classrooms with the wider world, technology enhances student engagement, encourages creativity and fosters critical thinking.
But learning doesn’t happen only on a screen. We’re just as committed to creating opportunities for face-to-face collaboration, hands-on exploration, outdoor learning and the development of interpersonal skills.
By combining technology with traditional and experiential learning, we’re equipping our students with the adaptability, resilience and depth of understanding they need to thrive in all areas of life.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
We balance academic rigor and structure with imaginative, student-driven learning. When students leave Marin Horizon, they graduate with a strong academic foundation and the confidence to think critically and use what they’ve learned in real life. We see creativity and academic discipline not as opposites, but as partners in great learning. Here, students are encouraged to think outside the proverbial box while mastering the fundamentals. Our approach engages students in hands-on, interdisciplinary projects grounded in solid academics. They learn to explore, create and problem-solve in their own ways, supported by a solid educational framework. The result is deeper, more meaningful learning that lasts long after the lesson has ended.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
Marin Horizon dedicates both time and resources to ensure that the program honors and supports the individual learning styles of each child and that they understand what they need in order to succeed. Teachers differentiate instruction using the science-based Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. Teachers, learning specialists and administrators meet regularly to strategize on how to maximize each student’s experience. The practice of goal setting and self-reflection are modeled, practiced and woven into the curriculum.
Marin Primary & Middle School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Marin Primary and Middle School, we believe that technology should be viewed as one tool in the learner’s tool belt, one of many resources students can draw upon to research, create, communicate and solve problems. From the earliest grades, where students explore toy robots and basic circuitry, to middle school, where they analyze AI systems and evaluate online sources, our curriculum is intentionally designed to build critical thinking and discernment alongside technical skills. We integrate technology thoughtfully and deliberately across all grade levels, guided by the ISTE standards and trusted frameworks from Common Sense Media, the News Literacy Project and the Stanford Digital Inquiry Group, ensuring that student well-being, academic integrity and genuine learning always take precedence over the tools themselves.
Technology is never the end goal; it is a means to deeper understanding, creativity, and responsible participation in the world. Our students learn to question, verify, balance and make intentional choices about when and how to use digital tools, including artificial intelligence, social media and online research. They are taught that any technology must support, not replace, their own voice, curiosity, productive struggle and human connection. By pairing hands-on digital experiences with robust media literacy and digital citizenship education, we prepare students to navigate an ever-evolving technological landscape with confidence, ethics and a clear sense that they are always in the driver’s seat.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
We believe in inspiring curiosity and creativity through active engagement and exploration, every day. By prioritizing experiential learning and outdoor education through our Open Sky and service learning programs, we are able to deepen students’ understanding of concepts while nurturing their sense of autonomy, efficacy and critical problem-solving skills.
We believe that the process of solving problems is just as important as finding the solution. Our students’ questions are encouraged, and their mistakes are expected, inspected and respected. Our teachers collaborate to integrate across the curriculum, knowing this leads to deeper understanding and stronger connections. We believe that students can learn to embrace both failures and successes as part of their learning journey. Guided by our supportive faculty, staff, and administration, our students thrive in a collaborative environment where they begin to understand themselves in relation to others.
We tailor learning experiences to individual needs, strengths, and interests while supporting our students with a sense of self-direction and independence. Our teachers promote respectful collaboration, integrating social-emotional learning and community-based experiences throughout the year and across the curriculum. We empower students to make a difference in their communities and the larger world by providing leadership opportunities and teaching advocacy skills to foster empathy and activism.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
The Open Minds Learning Center provides responsive support so every child makes progress and experiences success. We believe that every child deserves to feel grounded, known, and challenged as a learner. Our Open Minds Learning Center provides responsive, individualized support from preschool through 8th grade, with over 3,000 minutes of joyful learning happening each week. Our dedicated team, including a Director, School Counselor, Literacy Specialist, Math Specialist, Middle School Specialist and Advanced STEAM lead teacher, works collaboratively to ensure that no student falls through the cracks and that every child makes meaningful progress.
Our approach to student support is tailored to each developmental stage. In the early primary grades, we focus on building strong foundations in math and literacy alongside positive learning behaviors. As students move through upper elementary, we help them generalize skills, deepen their writing and comprehension, and develop the executive functioning needed to manage increasing academic demands. Our learning specialists push directly into classrooms for challenge groups and scaffolding, provide small-group targeted instruction, and coordinate on-campus speech and occupational therapy services, ensuring support is embedded in the everyday experience of school, not siloed apart from it.
As students move through our Middle School, our goal is full independence by the spring of eighth grade with personal responsibility, academic confidence and the skills to advocate for themselves. We offer classroom and testing accommodations, coordinate with outside providers and internal faculty, and provide high school admissions support and recommendations. For students who are ready for more, our Advanced STEAM program offers accelerated math, integrated project-based learning, and academic competition coaching in math, spelling, robotics and debate. Across all divisions, we partner closely with families through parent education, consultations and book clubs because we know that when school and home work together, students truly thrive.
Mark Day School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
The integration of technology into the Mark Day program is guided by research-based, thoughtful innovation. We believe digital tools are powerful instruments for learning — for research, data analysis, 3D modeling, coding, media production and more. We also believe that a tool is a tool is a tool, and sometimes the most valuable skill is knowing when technology is not the best tool for the job. Media literacy is essential to our curriculum: Our students learn to be critical consumers and creative producers of media.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Mark Day School believes that students learn best through hands-on, interactive and collaborative work that challenges them just beyond their comfort zones. Students are also engaged in inquiry-based learning activities during which they question, hypothesize, explore, experiment, research and present their findings. Technology is thoughtfully integrated into each classroom as a means of research, differentiation and creating media-based projects.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
We believe that learning is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Lessons, activities and classroom configurations often involve different modalities to support varied learning styles. Teachers across K–8 know each student deeply, and use this insight to inform differentiated lessons and activities and offer strategies to support and challenge students. Our learning specialists meet with students individually and in small groups and work closely with parents and guardians to educate them on their students’ learning profile.
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Millennium takes a deliberate, research-informed approach to technology. Students actually researched the effects of personal devices on adolescent wellbeing themselves — and used those findings to create our no-personal-devices policy, so phones and smartwatches are dropped off at the start of each day. Within our STEM Quests, students dig into questions of responsible AI use, examining its effectiveness, biases, limitations and impact on society. Technology at Millennium is treated as a tool that enhances learning, not a replacement for real-life connection and engagement in the classroom.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Millennium was created specifically for middle schoolers, drawing on research from neuroscience, psychology and developmental science. Our program rests on three pillars — whole-self education, inspired academics and real-world experience — designed to honor early adolescence as a time of curiosity, identity formation and social-emotional growth.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
Millennium embraces inclusivity, recognizing that every student’s needs are unique. We support neurodivergent students and celebrate different learning styles, meeting each student where they are through our progressive, hands-on approach. This individualized support is grounded in our JEDI values (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). We’re committed to building an anti-racist, multicultural community where students learn to hold multiple viewpoints, honoring what’s unique in themselves while developing the capacity to create meaningful change in the world.
Mount Tamalpais School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Technology is an integral part of life at MTS and is embedded throughout the curriculum. Our approach to technology is highly intentional, with an emphasis on critical thinking and innovation. It is used to support learning, demonstrate understanding and express creativity. We focus on developing skills that allow students to use devices to access information, explore topics through different lenses and experiment. They learn essential systems and platforms that support reading assessment, skill development and problem-solving. As part of technology use at MTS, AI is used selectively to enhance learning and ensure our students are prepared for a changing world as discerning, fluent, ethical and adaptable individuals with critical thinking skills and creative minds.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
At MTS, we believe that rigor and joy belong together in the same classroom. Our mission — “Where Learning is Revered, and Education is Joyful” — shapes every dimension of our program, from how teachers design lessons to how students engage with ideas. Learning at MTS is hands-on, inquiry-driven and deeply relational. Students don’t simply receive knowledge; they question, explore and make meaning together. And because we know that children learn best when they feel genuinely seen and valued, we’ve built a community where kindness, inclusion and belonging are the conditions in which academic excellence takes root.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
At MTS, we know that no two learners are alike. Starting in kindergarten, our teachers are subject-area experts who bring differentiated instruction into every lesson, not as an afterthought, but as a cornerstone of their practice. Our learning specialists work closely with teachers, students and families to understand each child’s learning profile, identify their strengths and ensure classroom experiences meet them where they are. The result is a school where learners are not just supported, they are celebrated as essential contributors to our community.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
SHC integrates educational technology into our mission by empowering faculty, staff and students with the knowledge and digital resources to create and collaborate in the modern world. Our IT staff supports effective use of technology while our professional learning supplements our teaching in all disciplines. Teachers utilize digital resources to build our students’ literacy, critical thinking, communication capacity, programming, design skills and digital citizenship. Our learning management system, digital student information system, Google Workspaces and an array of discipline-specific apps allow students, teachers, counselors, club moderators, coaches and parents to learn together and exchange information in real time.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory offers a unique educational experience to Bay Area students. Our Catholic high school is sponsored by the Daughters of Charity and the Christian Brothers, the only high school of its kind. SHC focuses on academics and all aspects that make a person whole. As a preparatory high school rooted in an inclusive community of faith, we help prepare young adults for a lifetime of success. Our curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong educational college prep foundation in which they develop academic curiosity, critical thinking skills and a desire to serve and lead in their communities.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory provides academic resources to students with documented learning differences to ensure that all students are fully integrated into the curriculum and campus life. Along with our dedicated faculty, collaborative learning spaces and wellness curriculum, students receive accommodations and assistance in developing self-advocacy skills and strategies that stress independent learning to prepare them for college.
San Domenico School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
San Domenico practices a human-centered approach to technology, purposefully integrating tools to amplify student critical thinking and creativity. Students develop digital fluency while building healthy screen habits through intentional guidance from faculty. We teach thoughtful technology use, helping students understand when screens enhance learning and when unplugging leads to deeper thinking and connection. From outdoor classroom spaces to collaborative tech projects, this balanced approach ensures students thrive both online and beyond the screen.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
Since 1850, San Domenico has prepared students for an ever-changing future by pairing academic excellence with a culture of kindness, integrity and ethical decision-making. Innovation in the classroom meets the evolving needs of today’s students, while timeless values remain central to their growth. Here, students find joy in helping others and learn to connect deep thinking with purposeful action, striving not only for greatness, but also for goodness. In doing so, they realize their fullest potential as the thoughtful, compassionate leaders of tomorrow.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
Our program ensures that all students have the tools they need to thrive. Our learning specialists partner with teachers and families to provide tailored support, ranging from executive functioning strategies and metacognition coaching to small-group instruction in core subjects. Students learn how to self-advocate, manage their workload and understand their own learning styles. When needed, the team also helps families navigate the evaluation process for learning differences. From kindergarten through graduation, students develop the knowledge, character and confidence to lead lives of purpose and service.
Sausalito Nursery School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Sausalito Nursery School, we intentionally keep screens out of the classroom because we believe the earliest years are best spent engaging with the real world, not a digital one. Wonder is serious work. Before children learn to navigate technology, they should learn to ask questions, solve problems, collaborate, create and imagine. Those skills are built with muddy fingers, cardboard inventions, sticks, paintbrushes, magnifying glasses and meaningful relationships — and they remain the foundation for every kind of learning that follows.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
At Sausalito Nursery School, we believe wonder is the engine of learning. We believe children learn best when they are deeply engaged in meaningful experiences — asking questions, experimenting, creating, collaborating and discovering the world around them.
Our experienced teaching team draws from a rich range of play-based educational philosophies — including over 15 years of Montessori training, Reggio Emilia curriculum expertise, over 20 years of nature-based education, and child-led inquiry — to create responsive, engaging learning experiences that foster curiosity, confidence, creativity.
Our play-based and emergent curriculums are intentionally designed around children’s natural curiosity. Academic concepts aren’t separated from everyday life; they emerge organically through authentic experiences like building a fort, caring for the garden, creating a restaurant in dramatic play, or measuring ingredients to bake bread. Along the way, children develop the habits of mind that matter most: creativity, communication, resilience, critical thinking and confidence.
We don’t rush childhood. We cultivate the skills that make lifelong learning possible.
Our curriculum is further enriched by specialists in music, movement, art and nature-based education. Weekly music classes, workshops with our artist in residence, rotating sessions in soccer, yoga and gymnastics, and our Garden & Naturalist Program extend children’s opportunities to explore, create and connect with the world around them — all through the same spirit of curiosity, play and joyful discovery that defines the SNS experience.
How does your school support individual students’ learning needs?
Every child arrives at SNS with their own interests, strengths, and way of engaging with the world. Our low student-to-teacher ratios — 4:1 in our younger classrooms and 6:1 in our Pre-K program, each with a co-oping parent working alongside the teachers — allow every child to be deeply known and supported as an individual. Rather than expecting children to fit a predetermined curriculum, we believe the curriculum should bend to the needs of each individual child.
Additionally, our mixed-age afternoon program features an emergent curriculum which gives teachers the flexibility to observe closely, follow children’s interests and thoughtfully adapt learning experiences to meet each child where they are.
Sonoma Academy
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Our school takes a balanced, thoughtful approach to the use of technology in the classroom. Our students learn to use the technological tools they will need to be successful in college and beyond, whether using software to edit music or film, coding robots, or creating interactive presentations. We also value hands-on learning and analog experiences, and students design with pencils and build with cardboard, hand-write journal entries in natural settings on our beautiful campus, take notes in the margins of their novels and discuss big ideas face to face. Rather than focusing closely on specific technologies, our approach builds the skills that graduates will need to be adaptable lifelong learners: creativity, collaboration, iteration and critical thinking.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
We believe that the best preparation for the future is meaningful learning infused with joy and purpose. We bring our students out of the classroom and into the world, with programs designed to nudge them out of their comfort zones so they will be ready to take on the challenges of the future.
We know that academic rigor means more than just hard work, and that excellence is defined by more than achievement, and we celebrate creativity and courage, in and out of the classroom.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
The small size of our school, with an average class size of 16 and a student-teacher ratio of 13:1, allows our teachers to get to know their students well. In this close-knit environment, students are both challenged and supported at the right level for them. In addition to this individual attention in the classroom, we employ a full-time Director of Learning Support Services and a full-time School Counselor who are available to support all of our students.
St. Patrick School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Saint Patrick School, we view technology as a tool, not the teacher. We intentionally integrate technology only when it enriches student learning, encourages student creativity and builds students’ digital literacy. As our elementary and middle school students grow and develop, we believe they thrive best through meaningful interpersonal relationships, hands-on experiences, discussion and play. Our goal is to strike a thoughtful balance, ensuring that technology enhances instruction when appropriate but never replaces the human connection at the heart of great teaching and a well-rounded education that nurtures the academic, personal and spiritual development of the whole child.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
We believe that a Catholic education means living with a respect for God, self and others every day, and that this constant presence-of-mind is a critical component to developing a kind, reflective and responsible student. We are welcoming of all faiths and backgrounds, and this inclusive environment creates a safe space for learning. Our educational environment consists of an innovative curriculum that cultivates engaged learners and encourages students to work to their full potential, inspiring them to develop an enthusiasm for lifelong learning.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
Student learning is monitored with formal and informal assessments on an ongoing basis by our teachers and Resource Specialist. Our team of dedicated teachers work to meet each student where they are at with the curriculum and provide either the remediation or enrichment they need to succeed and thrive. We have also expanded our Social Emotional Learning curriculum to meet the growing emotional needs of our students in a post-pandemic world.
Sterne School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
At Sterne, our focus is to teach students how to use AI as a resource, not as truth. We incorporate assistive technology in all our classes, and AI is a new tool that, when used appropriately, can support our students. Teachers at Sterne see this emerging technology as assistive technology; a tool students will need to use throughout their lives, like a set of encyclopedias decades ago or Wikipedia more recently. We believe that there are many productive ways to use AI that students and teachers should continue to explore. Last year, Sterne created an elective that culminated in group projects centered around developing and using AI technology. Faculty development and discussions will continue to define acceptable use, while encouraging students to engage with AI so they are better prepared to use it effectively and appropriately.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
At Sterne, we believe in a strengths-based approach to learning. When a student hears what they can’t do more often than what they can do, it becomes difficult to believe in oneself. Everyone learns, just not in the same way on the same day. Students need a setting that starts with their strengths and builds from there so they can move forward in school and in life with confidence. At Sterne, we challenge ourselves not just to start strong in our academic subjects, but in our approach to building a community where everyone is confident in their unique talents.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
At Sterne, we start with strengths. Every student’s learning profile is known and supported. In a projects-based, collaborative learning environment, students are encouraged to draw upon their knowledge, talents, and abilities to actively explore and solve problems. Our faculty helps students achieve continued success in subjects in which they excel, while targeted support builds confidence in areas that require more focus and attention. Each Sterne student is seen and understood, and by acknowledging everyone’s uniqueness, we are able to truly bring joy to their learning. Our customized approach to learning is not an add-on, it is integrated into every class every day.
Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm is proudly a Smart-Device-Free Campus. Scientific studies validate what Waldorf teachers have known for decades: the consumption of media by infants, children and young people inhibits healthy development. Studies show that direct experiences have a measurable positive impact on the brain’s development throughout childhood into adulthood. Because digital technology evolves so rapidly, we teach students critical thinking and digital literacy, which better prepares them for life than teaching specific programs or platforms.
What is your school’s academic philosophy?
We nurture the whole child — hands, heart and head — through a rich, immersive curriculum spanning birth to 18 years old. Summerfield Waldorf challenges children in such a way that independent thinking leads to a true experience of meaning. This process begins with a hands-on experience in Preschool; progresses with rigorous academics, practical arts, athletics and skill-building in the Lower School; and culminates in a search for individual meaning and purpose in High School.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm assists students in the areas of Educational Support, Social-Emotional Learning and Health, and Library Services and Resources. We recognize that children have unique learning styles, which may require a customized educational plan to ensure a positive educational journey. We provide a High School Counseling Program and Mentor Program, offering students academic, college and social-emotional support.
Winston Preparatory School
How are you incorporating technology (screens) in your curriculum, if at all?
Winston Preparatory School incorporates technology intentionally and in moderation to enhance learning rather than replace meaningful instruction. Screens are used for research, creativity, collaboration and skill-building while also teaching students responsible digital citizenship. Just as important, the school prioritizes screen-free opportunities for discussion, hands-on learning and social interaction. The goal is to help students develop the skills to use technology thoughtfully, ethically and with balance, preparing them for an increasingly digital world.
How does your school support individual student’s learning needs?
What makes Winston Prep Marin’s learning model different from other traditional learning programs is the way it helps cultivate a deep understanding of each student’s individual needs. Serving students in grades 3–12 with learning differences such as ADHD, dyslexia and nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD), Winston Prep faculty continually assess how students respond to their individualized skill development plan. Students also receive one-to-one remediation daily, focusing on their specific academic and social goals. Winston Prep’s Focus program ensures that students are continuously evolving and developing skills, helping them thrive.
