Manzanita School

1717 Old Topanga Canyon Road

Topanga, CA 90290

5 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 30, 2024

I have three children at Manzanita and each of them are so different and are thriving there. It is definitely not a traditional school but it offers many of the things that the best independent schools do, like very small class sizes (in the lower grades it's about 2 teachers to 12-14 students) and lots of opportunities for enrichment (the campus has a swimming pool, art studio, aerial arts pavilion, beautiful outdoor lunch space under mature oak trees). It also does so many things more conventional schools don't. The kids have ample opportunities to hike on nearby conservation lands, or to work on the organic farm or alongside animals like horses, chickens, goats and more. I adore not having to pack lunch: the school is partnered with an organization called School of Lunch that provides daily organic, locavore lunch and snacks and it's central to the culture on campus. There is a lot of focus in the curriculum on local ecosystems and on land stewardship, so there is an incredibly strong sense of place here. Really it's a magical experience and supports healthy development in so many ways. Most of all my kids love going to school and are curious and engaged with their learning.
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2019

Manzanita has been the perfect school for us. They clearly care deeply about each child and go above and beyond to make school feel like a community. To see our kids excited to go to school everyday is a whole new experience that is worth its weight in gold. A dream school!
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2019

The very best in all categories. We have been with Manzanita since it’s inception and could not be happier.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2014

The year is young, and the journey has just begun, but I can say with great confidence that this is THE DREAM SCHOOL. The head of school, Dr. Paul Astin is extrodinarily knowledgeable, fiercely dedicated, and passionately committed to helping children find their special gifts, while being mentored in a supportive and safe environment. Here, we know our child will grow to her full potential and go through her most impressionable years (4th grade and up) in the best possible way. There is simply not enough room in this review to praise what is happening at Manzanita, so I urge all prospective parents and students to go through the website, and tour the school. Our daughter lost precious years at a school that promised the moon but delivered nothing. At Manzanita, she is already supported by loving teachers who are catching her up quickly (and with no stress!) and opening her up to the kind of deep-nature connection she craves. At her old school, she had begun to think she wasn't smart, or couldn't learn, but in the past 2 months at MNZ, she now says "I know now I can do anything! I just needed the right teachers, and the right school!" ...Priceless.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2014

I'll venture that at the topsoil level, this category of alternative approach and environment could easily fall into the bucket of hippie-dippie, but this ain't that! The pedagogy, root philosophies, impassioned aversion to status quo conventionality, bone-deep commitment to the vision, and, indeed, the rigor in it all appear bedrock solid and primed for success. Kudos!"