Pacific Ridge School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pacific Ridge School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
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United States | |
| Coordinates | 33°07′27″N 117°14′58″W / 33.12417°N 117.24944°W |
| Information | |
| Motto | Academic Excellence, Ethical Responsibility, Global Engagement |
| Religious affiliations | Independent, Private Day School |
| Established | 2007 |
| Head teacher | Bob Ogle, Ed.D., M.A. |
| Grades | 6-12 |
| Enrollment | 685 (2022-23) |
| Mascot | Firebirds |
| Website | www |
Pacific Ridge School (PRS) is an independent co-educational college preparatory school for students in grades 6–12. The private school is located in the Bressi Ranch community of Carlsbad, California.
The school educates 661 students enrolled during the 2025–2026 school year.[citation needed]
In the fall of 2002, several families began thinking about the prospect for an independent middle and high school in North County San Diego, California. They crafted a mission statement to guide the development and operation of the school, formed a founding Board of Trustees, and purchased land in south Carlsbad for the campus. The school opened in 2007.[citation needed]
Eileen Mullady, an educator with a background in secondary and higher education, came to Pacific Ridge School from Horace Mann School in New York. She took up the position of founding Head of School in the summer of 2005.[citation needed]
Current Head of School, Bob Ogle, joined the founding staff in 2006 and assisted Mullady and the Board of Trustees implement the vision for Pacific Ridge School, as well as its construction and programs.[citation needed] He became Co-Head of School in July 2011 and succeeded Mullady upon her retirement in April 2013.[citation needed]
Pacific Ridge welcomed its founding seventh- and ninth-grade students in the fall of 2007. Additional grades were subsequently added and the first graduating class was in 2011.[1]
Academics
Harkness Learning
Pacific Ridge School is Harkness Learning.[2] Instead of sitting at rows of desks facing a blackboard, classes of 15 students sit with their teacher around a large, oval table, called a Harkness table. Because of this arrangement, the exchange of information during a lesson differs from that in a traditional classroom. Students listen, ask questions, and learn from the teacher and from each other.
The school maintains a student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1.[citation needed]
Pacific Ridge School's curriculum and graduation requirements exceed those of the State of California diploma and UC/CSU eligibility.[citation needed]
Athletics
Pacific Ridge School is a member of the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section and competes in the Coastal Conference.
Middle school teams compete in the South Coast Middle School League and offer a “no cut” participation policy, so that all students have the opportunity to play team sports and try a sport with which they may not already be familiar.
