FAM trip - Dunn School: Personalized Learning Between Mountains and the Sea

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Located near Santa Barbara, California, and nestled between rolling mountains and the Pacific coastline, Dunn School is well known for its small class sizes, close faculty-student relationships, and highly personalized college counseling. The school provides students with a focused yet nurturing learning environment and served as the sixth stop of our GE California FAM Trip.

As we stepped onto the campus of Dunn School, Head of School Kalyan, Director of Admission Mike, and Admissions Officer Amanda were already waiting for us beneath the shade of tall trees. With their warm welcome, a campus visit filled with discoveries and inspiration officially began.

Campus Environment

A Learning Haven Hidden in a Resort Destination

Dunn School is located in the renowned resort town of Los Olivos, an area known for its scenic beauty and rich history. This region was once home to Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, President Reagan’s ranch, and is also a favored vacation destination for President Biden. Surrounded by mountains, the campus is just a 30-minute drive from Santa Barbara and 20 minutes from the beach. With over 60 wine tasting rooms and a friendly local community, the area has been named “California’s Top Vacation Destination” by travel magazines. Students can safely and conveniently travel to downtown Santa Barbara on weekends, enjoying a balance of tranquility and vibrant city life—an important reason many families choose Dunn.

The Head of School shared that Dunn is guided by a “whole-child education” philosophy, aiming to cultivate future-ready collaborators, critical thinkers, and problem solvers. This educational vision is reflected in every corner of the campus.

Signature Programs

From Music to Entrepreneurship, Unlocking Diverse Growth

1. Music Education: Students Take Center Stage

Inside the music classroom, a student from Colombia performed a live piano piece, while members of the vocal ensemble sang “One Voice,” their harmonies filling the room with warmth. Dunn’s music program includes foundational courses, vocal ensembles, and advanced performance groups. During class, teachers often step aside and allow students to lead rehearsals, fostering creativity, initiative, and confidence in a low-pressure environment.

2. Entrepreneurship Program: Innovation Through Real Business

Dunn’s business and entrepreneurship program functions as a “micro business ecosystem,” allowing students to gain hands-on experience with real money and real outcomes:

Jörgensen’s Market: Fully operated by students, who manage product selection, pricing, production, and sales of hot food and milkshakes. The market generates approximately $30,000–$40,000 in annual revenue, which goes directly into a student-managed investment account.

$550,000 Real Investment Fund: Since 2011, students have managed an investment account that began with just $1,000 and has since grown significantly, including early investments in Nvidia and Bitcoin. The school plans to expand the fund to $1 million within four years and establish student entrepreneurship scholarships, allowing business success to directly support future students.

Real-World Business Partnerships: Students engage directly with industry professionals rather than simulations—planning theme nights for Angel City FC, evaluating real estate investments alongside the CEO of Ironwood Real Estate, and even successfully pitching ideas to the CEO of Reed’s Ginger Beer.

Innovation Lab: Converted from the school library, this space houses 3D printers, laser cutters, and other tools available to students throughout the day. Here, students create custom mugs, fidget-spinner keychains, smart home devices, and campus-based ventures such as a coffee club and dorm pizza delivery service.

College Counseling

Reducing Application Stress with Warmth and Expertise

Dunn’s college counseling program challenges the stereotype of high-pressure competition, thanks largely to college counselor Terry—affectionately known by students as “the magician.” During application season, her office becomes “the happiest place on campus,” complete with banana bread and upbeat music to ease student anxiety. She also spends hours one-on-one with students, patiently breaking down the application process, clarifying goals, and providing direction.

The college planning process is thoughtfully structured: grades 9–10 receive light guidance through presentations and parent meetings; grade 11 marks the formal start of counseling with surveys and individual profiles; and grade 12 focuses intensively on college applications in the fall.

One standout feature is the “College Admission Case Study” program. Each year, approximately 40 college admission officers visit campus, allowing students and parents to review real application files from the perspective of an admissions committee. This firsthand insight helps families understand how decisions are made and avoid blind preparation or résumé stacking.

Campus Life

A Community That Feels Like Home

1. Dormitories: Comfort and Warmth

Guided by faculty members, we toured Dunn’s residential area to experience student life up close. The girls’ dormitory, renovated last year, houses 44 students, mostly in double rooms. The spaces are uniform, tidy, and welcoming. Common areas feature fireplaces, flat-screen TVs, and fully equipped kitchens, serving as hubs for relaxation, meetings, and peer interaction. The boys’ dorms consist of three buildings with similar amenities.

2. Student Leadership and Community Life

Upperclassmen serve as Resident Advisors (RAs), overseeing dorm life, organizing activities such as Christmas decorating and cookie baking, and hosting regular “open dorm” events. Their warmth and attentiveness help new students quickly feel at ease, while the RAs themselves develop leadership and responsibility. This family-like dynamic lies at the heart of Dunn’s boarding experience.

3. Dining Hall: Embracing California Sunshine

The dining hall reflects the relaxed rhythm of daily life at Dunn. Open throughout the day, it offers hot meals, a salad bar, and sandwich station during meal times, while fresh fruit and baked goods are available at any hour. About 80% of students prefer to take their meals outdoors—thanks to California’s mild year-round climate of around 70°F (21°C), lawns, patios, and shaded spaces become open-air dining areas where meals are truly enjoyed.

Holistic Development

From Outdoor Challenges to Aviation STEM

Beyond comfortable dorms and dining, Dunn offers abundant opportunities for students to grow and explore interests outside the classroom. The school is committed to nurturing well-rounded individuals who discover passions, challenge themselves, and broaden their horizons.

1. Global Perspective and Outdoor Education

As a member of the Round Square network, Dunn provides unique global exchange opportunities. Students may participate in 2–6 week exchanges at over 200 member schools worldwide, paying only for airfare. Past destinations include Germany, South Africa, and Japan, allowing students to build cross-cultural understanding and global friendships.

Outdoor education is also a graduation requirement. Each student participates annually in at least one week-long backpacking, hiking, or rock-climbing expedition. Whether exploring Yosemite’s canyons or walking among ancient redwoods, students strengthen resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving skills in nature.

2. Athletics: Balancing Excellence and Enjoyment

The campus features an outdoor heated swimming pool, and swimming, tennis, and surfing are signature sports. Boys’ soccer, basketball, and baseball are particularly strong, with some graduates selected as MLS draft picks and others accepted to universities such as Georgetown and the University of Tennessee, competing in NCAA Division I athletics.

All students are required to participate in sports, regardless of skill level. Competitive athletes receive advanced training, while recreational participants enjoy staying active and healthy in a supportive environment.

3. Arts: Expressing Identity Through Creation

The St. Clair Art Studio serves as Dunn’s creative hub, offering comprehensive visual and practical arts programs, including ceramics, photography, filmmaking, and studio art (drawing, painting, sculpture). Students are free to explore artistic expression across multiple disciplines.

Although some artwork was temporarily removed due to a furniture upcycling project, the photography classroom still showcased powerful student pieces, each reflecting a unique perspective and strong creative voice.

4. Aviation and STEM: Letting Learning Take Flight

The two-week winter aviation program is a favorite among STEM and aviation enthusiasts. Students study aerodynamics and thermodynamics through flight simulators, build and fly remote-controlled planes, and design rockets for launch in Lompoc—a coastal area with minimal airspace restrictions, ideal for aerospace experimentation.

Activities also include airport visits, aircraft tours, and three consecutive days of real flight training at a Santa Monica flight school. Meanwhile, the F1 Racing Club uses simulators to explore physics and aerodynamics, making STEM learning dynamic and hands-on.

5. Innovation Programs: Turning Ideas into Reality

Dunn’s maker space, transformed from the campus library, is built around the LAUNCH design thinking model. Students move through ideation, prototyping, and iteration. In the first phase, they design products for a campus flea market, using at least two tools such as 3D printers and laser cutters. In later stages, innovation competitions allow students to pursue either business innovation or social impact projects.

This space is a true “maker’s paradise.” No reservations are needed—students can fix glasses with a laser cutter, 3D-print tennis ball collectors, convert old bicycles into electric bikes, or design NFC smart-home tags that turn off lights and send parents a “good night” message with a single scan.

At the conclusion of our visit, Director of Admission Mike presented each guest with a personalized 3D-printed name keychain and gift bag. We gathered for a group photo at the campus gate before heading to a local winery at sunset, enjoying regional wines and deeper conversations with the Dunn admissions team—bringing a fulfilling and memorable visit to a perfect close.

At Dunn School, education is not rigid knowledge delivery, but a journey of exploration in nature, growth through practice, and progress supported by warmth and care. Here, every student can find their own pace of growth and a path uniquely their own.