Dunn School

PO BOX 98

Los Olivos, CA 93441

29 Reviews

School District
Grade

6-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on January 24, 2025

In my opinion, Dunn School is not a good place to send your student. Having worked at the school and having my child enrolled as well, I can speak from various points of view. The leadership is terrible, the culture within the staff/faculty is the worst I've ever experienced. Most of the students are great, but there are a lot of students, teachers and admin staff who are "more equal" than others. The place is full of nepotistic hiring, teachers with no training or credentials, poor curriculum and tons of preferential treatment. If you happen to be the child of a rich alumni, you will get away with everything and have it great, but if Dunn doesn't see a long game with getting money and future donations from your family, you have no value to them. Dunn is located in a very rural area and it's challenging to attract good, talented faculty. The pay is relatively low and the demands on your time are high.There is no security on campus for your kids. The students constantly sneak off the grounds without the staff knowing, especially at night, drugs and alcohol are almost always involved. The staff seems clueless around the amount of substance abuse that goes on daily in the dorms and even in class. This is not hearsay, this comes directly from the students who go there. There have been many episodes of poor judgement around student interactions with faculty, from an emotional, mental and even physical nature. Dunn has it's fair share of dirty laundry.If you play boys soccer, baseball or basketball, you're in luck, since that's where any athletic money goes. If you have any other sport or interest, no money is put into it. The facilities are old and in disrepair, the programs are not impressive. Their 2 big draws are innovation and entrepreneurship. Both are taught by faculty that are neither innovative or entrepreneurs. No one in the entrepreneur program has ever run or started their own business, and innovation is "Makers-Space" with low-end robotic kits. Nothing innovative about it. Both of those programs were started to attract more enrollment, because that's where they get most of their money. They have a very small endowment and depend primarily on enrollment #39;s and donations to stay afloat. They cater to wealthy families that will donate #39;s. The board should replace most of the leadership, starting from the top. They are not good stewards of the school. The enrollment numbers have been declining every year. Not sure they will survive for long.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2020

No school is without faults or tradeoffs but if what you want is a safe place for your teenagers to blossom and discover their potential and discover the world, Dunn is a great place for this.
Submitted by parent on December 14, 2019

Terrible. There's no supervision. The children that lie with the most conviction are the ones that skate through this school. Your child will learn to lie and manipulate. If they don't know how to lie and manipulate now they will learn from the best.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2019

Excellent. I have three children that currently attend. All of them have been enrolled since sixth grade. While my wife and I would love to take credit for our children's solid development, much of that credit must be shared with Dunn. It is so easy to instill household values when those values are mirrored and reinforced by the school that they attend. We are very lucky to have had the Dunn partnership. My son is currently applying for college and his college list is exactly what I would have hoped to see when he began attending Dunn in 6th grade. Any one of the schools on this list will be an extension of the loving, caring, supportive, and challenging environment that he experienced at Dunn. We are very, very thankful for Dunn School.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2019

Overall our daughter is thriving at Dunn. She is being appropriately challenged and is growing in significant and important ways. Teachers and staff are highly invested and bring an energy to their work which is infectious.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2019

As a parent, I have been thrilled with my son's growth, and I credit it in largest part to the relationships he's developed with his teachers and his peers.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2019

We’ve had a wonderful experience with Dunn that far exceeded our expectations.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2019

We feel like we are watching our daughter thrive in a time that might otherwise be really challenging.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2019

Both of our boys attend Dunn. Both started in the middle school and continued on to the upper school. We have loved being a part of the Dunn family. We have been pleased with the entire experience...the commitment to experiential education and whole student education, the small class sizes, incredible faculty and staff members, and the supportive/caring community. The environment has been wonderful for both of my children. They are in their fourth year at the school, and we are looking forward to a few more wonderful years at this special place!
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2019

Absolutely awful! Dunn refused to returning any of our tuition, after our son only attended for one day due to bullying. We only requested half of our tuition be refunded,
Submitted by other on November 15, 2016

The board needs to wake up and look carefully at the leader of the school and the mostly male administration that he has put into place.
Submitted by student on January 10, 2016

I am not happy with the Dunn School at all I have been here for three years and every year it has been getting worse! I would not recommend this school for anyone! They are very cheap and won't spend a nickel unless they absolutely have to. The student leadership positions only go to the students whose parents have money and the kids with money can get away of anything they want.
Submitted by other on October 07, 2015

I'm a proud alumni of Dunn School. I was lucky to be a boarding student in a very diverse environment in a beautiful valley with students from different countries- even from Sudan, Ghana, India, Germany, and so on. I loved how teachers are passionate and genuinely care about students and their success. Teachers live on campus and I was able to go get help with work anytime. I received academic honors every year and was accepted into a university I wanted to attend. There was so many leadership opportunities- I gained my confidence being a leader of several organizations on campus. I am from Japan but Dunn is my forever family- the people I met there and the experience Dunn gave me are truly amazing. If you are considering going to Dunn- that is a great choice! 100% recommended.
Submitted by parent on October 07, 2015

For our family, Dunn's faculty and staff are the "golden triangle" of schools, meaning the perfect balance. The teachers have a lot of energy and are very inspiring. They are involved during classroom, enjoy eating in the cafeteria at lunch/dinner, and most are assigned to dorms with the boarding students. This provides students the opportunity to get to know their teachers.My son is a Sophomore at Dunn High School, and is thoroughly enjoying school again. We have been part of the Dunn community since 7th grade. He is confident with his studies, and enjoying getting fit in pre-season baseball training. At the beginning of every morning, students check in with their assigned advisors, who are instructors at the school. The advisors assist the students in keeping track of homework, and any assistance they may need. This is very helpful for the parents, as students initiate doing their homework. Teachers are available to the students during evening hours via email.We enjoy Dunn's smaller classroom size, which gives more time to teach to the student vs. staying on a pre-programmed academic schedule. This gives the students the opportunity to speak their views and ideas, whether it be solo or in a team. The interactive classroom setting is interesting and instills creativity. Otherwise students become bored if they just sit and listen to lectures. Dunn would not be possible for a lot of wonderful families if it weren't for the financial aid that is offered. It is based on income, and the online application is processed through a vendor, confidentially.Dunn has zero tolerance for bullying, and responds immediately if something is reported. Dunn High School has a very talented team for college counseling and preparing/assisting students with the enormous college application process. I am confident, as a parent, that my son will be guided successfully towards developing his future goals, and making it happen.Thank you Dunn, for all you do.Parent, Dunn School
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2015

Reading the poor review from last December (by a teacher?), I have trouble even considering that they were talking about Dunn School. We have had an incredible experience for both our kids. My husband and I both attended independent schools and my older son, now a senior spent his first two years at another independent school. In our experience at Dunn I have seen nothing but a high level of education and caring given by both the faculty and the staff. My kids will be well prepared for college, but even more importantly, they will be prepared for life. The school ideals that are taught are ones that my children will utilize throughout their lives. I cannot say enough about how pleased we are. I just must assume the angry reviewer has issues of their own, not really issues with Dunn. I find Dunn school a vibrant, exciting and dynamic institution that gives us everything we wanted in a small independent school.
Submitted by teacher on December 12, 2014

Dunn School is a dying institution. Its former glory has been tainted in favor of being as cheap as possible in anticipation of a country-wide drop in school-aged children in the 2020s. Faculty and staff are radically overloaded as the school refuses to hire adequately, and a massive discrepancy between educational staff experience exists. Dunn School has a large annual churn rate of around 8 to 10 staff and faculty, which speaks poorly for Dunn's investment in their employees. Students are subjected to a one-size-fits-all model. A school of former diversity is now nothing more than an overseas boarding school for East Asian students.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2014

Dunn is so tranquil and caring, I literally wish I could have gone to a school like this. My son's teachers are outstanding. I get weekly updates from his advisor, so I feel like I know how he's doing without needing to be overly involved. The transportation the school now offers for Santa Barbara families makes it absolutely work for our family. The setting is calm and safe with many trees and amazing mountain views, and open space for athletic fields. Compared to his former LA school there is no comparsion. If you want a high quality college prep education that will give your child individual attention and not compromise on enrichments, arts and athletics, with great teachers and a beautiful setting, I highly recommend Dunn.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2014

Dunn Middle School is the best middle school in the Santa Ynez Valley. The school has an amazing staff so in tune with every child's needs. I feel as if my daughter's education is custom tailored to her needs. She is challenged in all ways every day and enjoys going to school each and every day. The enrichment program has a variety of classes which is not offered anywhere else in the valley. I am constantly impressed by what my child is learning in class everyday and the way in which she is learning. The school has surpassed my expectations.
Submitted by other on December 04, 2013

The Dunn School has an outstanding Learning Strategies Program that sets it apart from the other college prep schools. Our student entered Dunn after having a rough time in middle school. He has ADHD and, at that time, he was not able to get control of his ADHD and succeed in school. At Dunn he met with his Learning Strategies adviser every day and learned about himself as well as strategies for getting his work done and getting good grades. The same adviser worked with him all three years and nurtured his growth as a person and a student. In addition, Dunn also has excellent teachers and coaches that encouraged his participation in the many activities of the school. He played sports and developed leadership skills that have helped him gain confidence and relate well to his peers. Now that he is in college, I can fully appreciate the way that Dunn prepared him for for this important step in his life.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2013

This was the best place for my son to go to middle and high school -- he found exactly what he was looking for... a fabulous supportive community of teachers and students, collaboration, creativity, and academic challenge. Be aware though, that becoming part of Dunn School is a life choice for your child. Whether they are boarders or are a day student, Dunn requires a great portion of their day, sometimes well into the evening for school activities and even some weekends. Dunn becomes a way of life and is as demanding and rigorous as it needs to be to support its students' endeavors to be they best that they can be. My son earned a tremendous education and created a life long family among both students and teachers. I am forever grateful to the staff for the love and support and encouragement they gave my son. He is a better man as a result of their kindness and care.