Diegueno Country School

My son is a senior in High School this year and my daughter just started Middle School.  Both pretty important years in a child’s school career, but school really is so much more than a place to learn the “Three R’s”.  I strongly believe that school is an extension of home and a microcosm of the world that our children will one day be responsible to navigate on their own.  Our kids have us to teach them about the world but they also have their teachers and other staff at school.  A fantastic example of a school that has taken the responsibility of equipping our kids with not only academic tools but life skills needed to be a well-rounded adult is Diegueno Country School.  In fact my son graduated from there 6 years ago. This is a picture of him and some of his friends on graduation day.
Diegueno Country School
Located at 15663 Circo Diegueno Rd. in Rancho Santa Fe just past the entrance to Rancho Valencia.
Diegueno is a small school that was originally a private home in Rancho Santa Fe.  Serving grades K-6, with a very low student to teacher ratio of 10:1
Founded in 1973 by educators Michael & Leah Cole, Diegueño Country School was built on a dream to create a school where children’s individual academic needs would be met while they developed a true love for learning. Based on their own teaching and administrative experiences, The Coles adopted their own integrated, experiential approach to education in which the child’s individual potential and talents would be optimized.
Following the principles that have been their driving force, the Coles have created a natural and comfortable learning environment, a “home-away-from-home.” Their purpose has always been to offer a comprehensive educational program that emphasizes advanced academic study through individualized instruction. In addition, their goal has always been to teach and reward kindness and sensitivity through activities designed to enhance emotional and social maturation. In order to balance rigorous academic study, the school has integrated interactive lessons that include performing arts and musical and artistic exploration.  One example of this is “Dig Day” where each grade has a different presentation representing a certain time period in history. 
To learn more about Diegueno Country School click here
I love their Mission Statement “To provide an authentic education that meets the needs of the whole child – the scholar, the communicator, the citizen, the friend – and our accelerated academic program builds a solid foundation of knowledge while it fosters creativity in a warm, supportive environment.”