Our Story

The East Bay School was founded in 2010 as an all-boys school. As we celebrate our 16th year, we have opened admissions to and are enrolling students of all genders. The decision to expand to serving students of all genders was both a big decision and a natural evolution — big because it broadens our focus on educating boy-identified students to all students. And a natural evolution because allowing access to all genders simply expands our mission to be a school that helps students cultivate their intellectual, physical, and emotional selves to become engaged, thoughtful, courageous, and justice-minded adults.

Since our founding, the East Bay School has been rooted in the conviction that middle school and middle school students matter deeply. We believe that students deserve an educational program and learning community that prioritizes their engagement and takes their questions, passions, and ideas seriously.  We know that when students are engaged in their learning their ability to sustain attention, develop interest in their course material, and retain their learning over time deepen greatly. Our classes are designed to ignite our students’ imagination, help them lean into their learning, and invite them to apply their learning to communities, pursuits, and realms that are personally meaningful to them. 

At EBS, we also understand that when young people flourish in school communities that foster a sense of belonging and connection, so we are intentional in making our school a relational space, a love space, that honors every student’s contributions and needs. When students feel loved and safe, we know that they approach their academic and social-emotional development with greater openness, vulnerability, resilience, and creativity. Our hope is that the lessons students learn about the world and themselves at EBS will last a lifetime.