Blue Oak School

Now in its second decade, Blue Oak is the first and only non-denominational school in the Napa Valley fully accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools, with membership in the National Association of Independent Schools. Located in the historic downtown Napa schoolhouse and a beautiful redwood courtyard building, Blue Oak is a progressive school where children are challenged to inquire, experiment, build, and create. From kindergarten through eighth grade, Blue Oak students and the adults who work with them love to come to school.

At Blue Oak School the curriculum is tailored to our students whose intellectual growth and socio-emotional intelligence are carefully attended to. Blue Oak teachers are skilled and artful instructors who care deeply about their subject matter and the development of children. At Blue Oak we do not teach to any standardized test, but rather, our goal is to help children achieve understanding, mastery, and resilience through meaningful work. To this end, we challenge our students to be doers: historians, mathematicians, writers, researchers, designers and scientists. In addition, at Blue Oak we consider studio and culinary arts and physical education to be critical components of a well-rounded education and a healthy childhood.

A Blue Oak education is rooted in the rich environment of the Napa Valley as teaching and learning are regularly extended beyond the classroom and out into the world. From San Francisco, Angel Island, Bothe State Park and Tamales Bay to the Napa River and the fields at our partner-farm, BOCA, our students are “young geographers.” Through real-world experiences our students become stewards of the environment, in-the-field scientists, savvy agriculturalists, and skilled writers who understand the power of place. As a result, while our students are confident individualists so too are they keenly aware of the ways they are connected to each other, society, and nature.