CALIFORNIA · BOARDING SCHOOL GUIDE
The Thacher School
Ojai · Ventura County, California
A coeducational boarding high school for grades 9 to 12, founded in 1889 in the Ojai Valley, where every new student joins the Horse Program.
- 1889
- Founded
- 9-12
- Grades
- 261
- Students
- 11
- Average class size
About The Thacher School
The Thacher School was founded in Ojai in 1889 by Sherman Day Thacher and is a coeducational boarding high school for grades 9 to 12. In 2026-27 it enrolls 231 boarding and 30 day students from 21 states and 13 countries; 18% are international students and 54% of boarders come from outside California. The school reports a 540-acre campus, and the Head of School is Jeff Hooper.
Thacher stepped away from AP courses in 2019 in favor of Foundational Studies in grades 9 and 10 and Advanced Studies in grades 11 and 12. Riding, backcountry camping and afternoon activities (including at least one trimester of a team sport) are required of every student: ninth graders care for and ride a horse all year, and the whole school goes on week-long backpacking trips each fall and spring. The school lives by an Honor Code and admitted 17% of applicants for fall 2026.
| School type | Nonsectarian independent · Co-ed · Primarily boarding |
|---|---|
| Divisions | Grades 9-12, about 20 day students |
| Main entry grades | Grades 9, 10 and 11 |
| Mandarin | Yes: Mandarin I to III, plus Mandarin A Honors and Mandarin B - Advanced |
| Head of school | Jeff Hooper |
| Accreditation | WASC; member of NAIS and TABS |
| Address | 5025 Thacher Road, Ojai, CA 93023 |
| Phone | (805) 646-4377 |
| NCES ID | 00080814 |
| Official Website | www.thacher.org |
Academics and programs at The Thacher School
- Horse Programevery new student learns to ride and care for a horse, ninth graders for the full year; the barns house about 120 horses, and Big Gymkhana closes the riding year each spring.
- CurriculumThacher stepped away from the AP (Advanced Placement) program in 2019 in favor of Foundational Studies in grades 9 and 10 and Advanced Studies in grades 11 and 12, with 39 Honors and Advanced courses in 2025-26.
- Senior Exhibitionevery senior completes a yearlong research project and presents it to the school in a 30-minute talk.
- Backcountry programthe whole community goes on week-long backpacking trips each fall and spring, with 62 camping trips offered and trails leading from campus into the Los Padres National Forest.
- Astronomy research and study awaythe advanced astronomy research course uses the campus observatory to study eclipsing binary stars and transiting exoplanets, and rising eleventh graders can apply for School Year Abroad and other semester programs.
The Thacher School tuition and family budget
Tuition, 2026-27
$84,000/ year · boarding
Published 2026-27 boarding tuition; the school charges no fees beyond tuition
At 2026-27 boarding tuition, four years total $336,000, excluding about $1,500 a year in gear and books plus travel.
Financial aid at The Thacher School is based solely on need; the school states it is not need-blind but aims to admit students on their own qualifications without regard to family resources.
| Boarding tuition | $84,000 |
|---|---|
| Day tuition | $68,050 |
| Additional costs | About $1,500 for camping and riding gear, books and supplies |
| Payment plans | Ten installments (monthly, July 1 to April 1), two installments (two-thirds by August 1, balance by December 15) or one payment on August 1 |
| Financial aid | Based solely on demonstrated need, no merit or talent scholarships; Clarity application with a $60 fee |
| Aid in numbers | 28% of students receive aid, average award $64,659, total aid over $4.8 million |
| Aid deadline | February 15, 2027 for new families; 2025 and 2026 federal tax returns required |
| Olympus Fund | For families receiving significant aid (typically 90% of tuition or more): books, travel, gear, health insurance and a monthly allowance |
Key dates for the 2027-28 The Thacher School admission season
- Online application due
- Interviews completed
- Financial aid due
- Decisions released
Applications for fall 2027 are open for grades 9 to 11 through SAO, Gateway to Prep Schools or Finalsite, with no preference among them. The application page gives January 22 as the interview deadline while its timeline panel says January 20, so plan for the earlier date. Admitted candidates reply by April 10.
- Harbor Day School admission event (Corona del Mar)
- Virtual session: The Thacher Experience
- Virtual student panel
- Virtual financial aid session
- SSAT on campus
- Virtual session: The Thacher Experience
- Virtual parent panel
- SSAT on campus
The Thacher School entrance assessment and SSAT/ISEE requirements
| Entry grade | Testing |
|---|---|
| Grade 9 | Upper Level SSAT or Upper Level ISEE |
| Grade 10 | SSAT, Upper Level ISEE or PSAT |
| Grade 11 | SSAT, Upper Level ISEE or PSAT |
| Non-native English speakers | Also TOEFL or Duolingo English Test (waived after three years in English-medium schools) |
| SSAT code 7648 · ISEE code 052265 · Tests from the application year · SSAT on campus 2026.11.14 / 12.12 | |
- All testing must be taken in the academic year of application; send scores with the codes above, use TOEFL code 6955, and email Duolingo results to the admission office.
- Entering ninth graders must have completed a full Algebra 1 course including quadratics; students who have only taken Pre-Algebra cover the material in the spring or summer before enrolling.
EDUBUS plans back from the January 15 deadline: an SSAT practice test around the start of grade 8, a first official sitting in the fall, then, depending on scores, the on-campus SSAT on November 14 or December 12 combined with a campus visit and interview, while checking that Algebra 1 meets the school requirement. SSAT/ISEE prep · Boarding school application guide
Where The Thacher School graduates go to college
Colleges44 schools
- Colorado College (3)
- New York University (3)
- University of California - Berkeley (3)
- Barnard College (2)
- Boston College (2)
- Carleton College (2)
- Colby College (2)
- Dartmouth College (2)
- University of Southern California (2)
- Washington University in St. Louis (2)
- Amherst College
- Bates College
- Brown University
- Chapman University
- Columbia University
- Denison University
- Hamilton College
- Harvey Mudd College
- Indiana University Bloomington
- Kenyon College
- Loyola Marymount University
- McGill University
- Middlebury College
- Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles
- Northeastern University
- Northwestern University
- Pitzer College
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Santa Clara University
- Skidmore College
- Stanford University
- The City College of New York
- Trinity College
- Tufts University
- University of California - Santa Barbara
- University of Chicago
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School
- University of Virginia
- Vanderbilt University
- Vassar College
- Wake Forest University
- Wellesley College
- Yale University
From the school's Class of 2026 matriculation list: 57 students at 44 colleges, with the number attending in parentheses and one student where none is shown. Schools marked → link to an EDUBUS admissions guide.
Getting to The Thacher School from Irvine
| Northwood | 96.2 mi |
|---|---|
| Turtle Rock | 96.9 mi |
| Woodbury | 97.6 mi |
| Portola Springs | 99.0 mi |
Straight-line distances from Irvine, not driving distances. The school lists travel times of about 2 hours from Los Angeles International Airport, 1 hour 45 minutes from Hollywood Burbank Airport and 50 minutes from Santa Barbara Airport, and notes that ridesharing is not readily available in Ojai. Day families are advised to live within 20 miles, so Irvine students apply as boarders.
School address: 5025 Thacher Road, Ojai, CA 93023
The Thacher School: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Irvine family applying to The Thacher School for grade 9 need the SSAT or the ISEE?
The Thacher School requires every applicant to submit SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) or ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) scores, and grade 10 and 11 applicants may submit the PSAT instead. Testing must be taken in the academic year of application; the SSAT code is 7648 and the ISEE code is 052265. The school hosts the SSAT on campus on November 14 and December 12, 2026.
What is The Thacher School acceptance rate, and what does it mean for Irvine students?
The Thacher School reports that it admitted 17% of applicants for fall 2026 and that 71% of admitted students enrolled. It publishes no SSAT or ISEE cut-off. For Irvine students, this means the interview, recommendations and a genuine interest in riding and backcountry life matter alongside scores.
Does a child in an Irvine school need the TOEFL to apply to The Thacher School?
The Thacher School requires TOEFL or Duolingo English Test scores from applicants whose first language is not English, unless they have attended an American school or an English-medium international school for the past three years. Students who have been in Irvine public or private schools for that long usually qualify for the exemption; confirm individual cases with the admission office.
How do interviews and campus visits work for Irvine families applying to The Thacher School?
The Thacher School requires an interview, in person or virtual, completed by January 22, 2027 (the application timeline panel says January 20, so plan for the earlier date). Campus visits run Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from September to January, with an optional in-person interview; virtual interviews are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific time.
What is The Thacher School tuition for 2026-27, and can Irvine families apply for aid?
The Thacher School charges $84,000 for boarding and $68,050 for day students in 2026-27, with no fees beyond tuition but about $1,500 in additional costs for camping and riding gear, books and supplies. Aid is based solely on demonstrated need, with no merit or talent scholarships; the school reports that 28% of students receive aid, with an average award of $64,659. Thacher states it is not need-blind but aims to admit students without regard to family resources; new families apply through Clarity by February 15, 2027.
Does an Irvine student at The Thacher School have to learn to ride?
Yes. The Thacher School requires every new student to learn to ride and care for a horse: ninth graders ride for the entire school year, and new sophomores and juniors choose one athletic season in their first year. Students muck stalls before class, ride in the afternoon and feed their horses every evening, and every student takes a weekend horse packing trip in the first year. Most have never ridden before.
Which grades does The Thacher School admit, and can an Irvine student attend as a day student?
The Thacher School admits students entering grades 9 through 11. About 20 day students attend, and the school recommends that day families live within 20 miles of campus; Irvine is about 96 miles away, so Irvine students in practice apply as boarders. Entering ninth graders must also have completed a full Algebra 1 course that includes quadratics.
Sources: the school website and public filings · compiled 2026-10-07 · current policy follows the school's own notice
Sources20 sources · checked 2026-10-07
Compiled from the official The Thacher School website and public filings. Tuition and deadlines follow the school's current notice. Enrollment of 261 is the sum of 231 boarding and 30 day students for 2026-27 on the Facts that Matter page; the average class size of 11 and 6:1 student-faculty ratio come from the 2025-26 School Profile.
- thacher.org
- thacher.org/explore/facts-that-matter
- thacher.org/admission
- thacher.org/admission/how-to-apply
- thacher.org/admission/visit-thacher
- thacher.org/admission/virtual-interview-and-events
- thacher.org/admission/thacher-on-the-road
- thacher.org/admission/pegasus-fly-in-program
- thacher.org/admission/affording-thacher/tuition--expenses
- thacher.org/admission/affording-thacher/financial-aid-faqs
- thacher.org/admission/affording-thacher/how-to-apply-for-financial-aid
- thacher.org/admission/the-ojai-area
- thacher.org/programs/horse
- thacher.org/community/dorms
- thacher.org/explore/history-and-heritage
- thacher.org/explore/school-leadership
- thacher.org/academics/college-counseling/college-matriculation
- thacher.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/148/download/download_11083414.pdf
- nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&ID=00080814
- niche.com/k12/search/best-boarding-high-schools/s/california
Ask about applying to The Thacher School and SSAT/ISEE prep
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