Almaden Country School (San Jose, California)
Almaden Country School is an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational private day school founded in 1982 by Mrs. Nan Hunter. The school is situated on a 9-acre campus in the Almaden Valley neighborhood of San Jose, California.
Accreditation
ACS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Curriculum, Instruction, and Signature Programs
ACS maintains a student/teacher ratio of 9:1, with kindergarten classes limited to a maximum of 16 students, elementary classes to 20-22, and middle school courses ranging from 6-24 children. Specialist teachers provide instruction to all students preschool through eighth grade in drama, science, art, music, French, and P.E. In the middle school, electives include Spanish, speech and debate, videography, Web site design, social justice, and others. ACS aims to provide a range of learning opportunities embedded in a liberal arts curriculum.
Signature instructional programs at the school include drama (all elementary students participate each year in one of 13 MusicAL theater performances), character education, and inquiry-based science. The school offers field trip opportunities for students at every grade level, and children in grades 4-8 participate in overnight excursions such as a mining camp re-enactment at Malakoff Diggins, science camp in Yosemite, environmental camp on Catalina Island, and a visit to Washington, D.C. in eighth grade.
Parental involvement is another feature of Almaden Country School. ACS parents participate in their children's education and volunteer in support of many school-wide events, activities, excursions, and service projects. AbOUT 70 percent of ACS parents and 100 percent of its faculty and Board of Trustees contribute to the annual fund-raising campaign to support the school's operating costs.
The ACS technology program features a Macintosh computer lab, a 1:1 laptop program for middle school students, Promethean classroom Activboards, and wireless Internet access campus-wide.
Recognition and Awards
In 2008, ACS was awarded first prize in Samsung’s Hope for Education contest, selected from about 8,000 entrants nationwide for the school's integration of technology in the instructional program.