The Thacher School in Ojai, California, is a private boarding school founded in 1889. The school is co-ed and is accredited by TABS, NAIS, WBSA, and SSATB.
Open to students in grades 9-12, the Thacher school was originally all boys but began accepting students in 1977. Thacher’s educational philosophy is that students benefit from taking on real responsibility and positive risks. A member of the western preparatory school Condor League, Thacher fields teams in ballet, basketball, baseball, cross country, dance, equestrian, dance, football, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track and field, ultimate Frisbee, and volleyball. All students are required to ride and care for a horse in their first year.
Adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest, Thacher is located on 425 acres on top of a mesa in the northeast corner of the Ojai Valley on what used to be known as the Casa de Piedra ranch. The school’s buildings exemplify the California Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival.
The school has recently expanded building many buildings, upgrading its athletic facilities, and developing the trail network that links the school to the Los Padres National Forest. Tuition at the Thacher school is $47,950 for boarding students and $31,750 for day students. Thacher is home to 230 students and its mascot is the toad.
