Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions a parent makes, and most families have to make it again and again as their children grow. At Mount Madonna School, you can make it once. Our small preschool through 12th grade school sits on 380 acres of redwoods just up Hecker Pass from Gilroy, and everything we do rests on three pillars: academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development.
Community That Is Close to Home
Your child may spend many years with us, so it matters that our school is close to home. A large part of our school community lives right here in Gilroy. Your child’s friends will live nearby, and you will see other school families at the bus stop and around town.
Our campus is only about 25 to 30 minutes from most Gilroy neighborhoods. Our school bus makes the trip easier still. Each morning at 8:25, it picks students up in the Fortino’s Winery parking lot on Hecker Pass, within about 10 minutes of the neighborhoods below. At 3:50 in the afternoon, it brings them back to the corner of Watsonville and Redwood Retreat Roads, just two minutes from the morning stop.
Families who prefer to drive have good options too. Many carpool, and we are happy to connect you with other Gilroy families. The drive itself is a pleasure, past the vineyards of Hecker Pass and up into the redwoods.
| From | To the bus stop* | To campus* |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle Ridge | About 5 minutes | About 25 minutes |
| Carriage Hills and the Christopher High area | About 10 minutes | About 25 minutes |
| Glen Loma Ranch | About 10 minutes | About 25 minutes |
| Downtown | About 10 minutes | About 30 minutes |
* Drive times are approximate, and traffic can add time. An annual bus fee applies; please see tuition and fees.
You Only Have to Choose Once
Each stage here is built for the age your child has reached and prepares them for the next.
Preschool. Our youngest students begin each day with a morning walk, and their lessons are often interrupted by a passing deer or a family of turkeys. They learn through stories, art, music and gardening, and through games that teach them to cooperate and work out disagreements.
Elementary school. Small classes give children the attention they need as they build a strong foundation in reading, writing and math. They hike with their older buddies to the newt and duck ponds on campus. Fifth graders take on a yearlong environmental project and write letters to their representatives.
Middle school. These are the years when children most need to feel that they belong. Our middle schoolers open the year on a camping trip, getting to know their classmates and teachers before classes begin, and eighth graders spend a week in Boston visiting places they have studied in U.S. history.
High school. Students take on a college-preparatory curriculum that asks them to use what they learn. On our learning journeys, the trips that take classes out into the world, students prepare their own questions and interview the people they meet. The students who wrote to their representatives in fifth grade travel to Washington, D.C., to meet politicians and ask them questions in person. Nearly all of our graduates go on to a four-year university, and over the years, alumni have attended Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Cornell, UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Staying in one school means your child keeps their friends from year to year, and you keep a community you already know. Brothers and sisters, even preschoolers, can attend together and ride the same bus, instead of going to three schools with three different schedules. You also don’t have to start in preschool to belong here, because students join us at many grades along the way.
When preschoolers and seniors share a campus, children of every age get to know one another. Older students mentor younger ones in the children’s garden, and at lunch, it’s not unusual to see sixth graders and seniors playing volleyball together. Younger children see who they might become, and older students learn what it means to have someone looking up to them. Many parents tell us that meeting our juniors and seniors is what convinced them to choose Mount Madonna School.
Every Child Has a Place on Our Stage
Creative self-expression runs through every year at our school. Elementary students perform each winter and spring, middle and high school students stage full musicals, and at Sparks!, our high school students showcase their own creative work.
Each June, the whole school comes together to perform the Ramayana, the great epic from India, at the Mexican Heritage Theater in San Jose. It is the longest-running production of the Ramayana in the Western Hemisphere, and it draws more than 1,500 people. Our youngest children begin as forest animals and take on larger roles each year, until they are leading the show in high school. Parents work backstage on costumes, makeup and props, so the whole family becomes part of it.
An Inclusive Community Where Every Child Belongs
Every parent wants to know that their child will be treated with kindness at school. Our students and faculty have agreed on what we expect of one another: to be welcoming, honest, inclusive and kind. We do not tolerate bullying in any form, on campus or online, including exclusion, teasing and ridicule.
We teach children how to live up to those expectations, beginning with conflict resolution in preschool. In a school this small, every child is known, so teachers notice when a child is having a hard day and can step in to help. Our commitment to inclusion extends to every child and family, whatever their race, culture, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or income. Children here choose their friends across ages and backgrounds, and they grow up learning to treat one another with respect.
Families of All Beliefs Are Welcome
Mount Madonna School is not a religious school, and families of every belief are welcome here. Children raised in many different faith traditions, and in none at all, learn and grow side by side. No particular belief or practice is required or expected of anyone.
We encourage children to be curious about what matters most to people. In our Values in World Thought course, high school students study what people around the world value and why, and on learning journeys that reach as far as India, they interview people of many backgrounds and religions about what guides their lives. Students can also choose a yoga elective as a way to care for the body and mind. Your family’s beliefs remain your own, and your child learns to respect the beliefs of others.
Our Tuition Is Affordable
Our tuition is affordable, which matters when you are choosing one school for many years. We set each family’s tuition individually, according to your income and circumstances, and more than 70 percent of our families receive need-based tuition assistance. To apply, you complete a financial application through FACTS, an independent service, and we use that assessment to determine your family’s tuition. Families with more than one student may receive additional support. Assistance is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage you to apply for it at the same time you apply to the school. We are glad to go through what it would cost your family.
Come See Where Your Child Could Grow Up
A decision this important is best made in person. Come walk among the redwoods with your whole family, meet our teachers, and talk with our students, from our youngest to our seniors. A tour takes about 90 minutes and includes a good deal of walking, so please wear comfortable shoes. We are touring now for 2027-28 and for 2026-27 transfers, and we would love to meet you.
Schedule your campus tour
- Tell us about your child. It takes a few minutes.
- Under “What would you like to do?”, choose a personal tour or a group tour.
- Choose a group tour and we’ll email your confirmation. Choose a personal tour and you can pick a time right after you submit.
Do you have questions first? Call Admissions at 408-846-4042.
