K-12 Co-Educational Day School | About | Chadwick School

Chadwick students cross the alumni pathway during Commencement.

A Special Place, 90+ Years in the Making

Chadwick is steeped in more than 90 years of history and tradition that began with the extraordinary vision of one woman: Margaret Lee Chadwick. From her very first home school in 1935, to her entrepreneurial efforts to secure the first acres of land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, to today’s campuses in Palos Verdes, California, and Songdo, South Korea, Margaret Chadwick was a pioneer. While much around us has changed, what hasn’t changed over the past 90 years is Chadwick’s belief that great people, who are also good, can change the world.
 

Read More About Our Beginnings

Black and white photo of Chadwick students at Commencement from the archives.

Lawn sprawls toward the Leavenworth Library, dotted with trees and a park bench.

Why Chadwick?

Chadwick students do hard things. They do new things. They do great things and good things. Because they are not alone. They have each other, and they have teacher mentors, advisors, coaches and a close-knit community who will pick them up when they fall. And they will fall. Because that’s where courage, character and resilience are born.
Founder Margaret Chadwick works with students outside at Chadwick School.

Founder Margaret Chadwick works with students outside at Chadwick School.

Chadwick Upper School student in a hoodie writes notes on a clipboard while on a kayak in the ocean.
Student points off into the distance while on a hike with his classmates.
Chadwick student conducts an experiment during science lab.
Chadwick Upper School student gestures while giving a presentation in front of a projected slideshow.
Chadwick Village students practice math while sitting on the carpet during class.
Village students sit in a circle for their morning meeting in the outdoor classroom in the Innovation and Design Building.

Chadwick Today

  • 3 divisions on one campus that engage with each other for each other — Village School, Middle School and Upper School
     
  • 23 WOWs in this year’s graduating class (students who attended Chadwick from kindergarten through 12th grade)
     
  • 82 seniors received 542 offers of admission from 188 different colleges and universities
     
  • 20+ athletics teams and extracurricular activities designed to get students moving at every level
     
  • 45-acre campus
     
  • 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio
     
  • 13 yearly outdoor education trips to build resilience and confidence
     
  • 90+ years since we started changing the world
     
  • $6.6M in financial support awarded in 2024–25
     
  • 2 additional scholarships available to students in Middle School and Upper School

Chadwick student in heart sunglasses gives a thumbs up.

 

Chadwick School’s Innovation and Design building which houses among others, classes related to science, engineering and technology.

Our Intentional Journey from K to 12

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been so engaged in a class that time flew by and you wanted to stick around after just to keep the conversation going. At Chadwick, that’s not the exception — it’s the norm. Our curriculum is designed to push students at every grade level to think deeply, ask questions and see ideas in new ways. This approach works because we prioritize creativity, balance and personal growth, which have just as much to do with student success as academics do.

A Chadwick student might spend their morning tackling advanced economics, their afternoon rehearsing for the school musical and their free periods developing a proposal to establish a new club at the school. With access to teachers, resources and each other, students build the skills, confidence and foundation they’ll need to continue growing through every step that follows.

When their hands are on, their minds are on.

When students are building, rehearsing, experimenting or presenting, they’re learning in the most lasting way. At Chadwick, hands-on learning happens across every grade and subject — programming robots in Upper School, dissecting a sheep brain in kindergarten, developing real-time comedy for the stage and everything in between. When students are actively involved, their understanding goes deeper, their curiosity keeps growing and they have fun while learning.
Chadwick student smells foliage on hike in Chadwick Canyon.
Chadwick student sits in front of a bulletin board that reads, “We are authors.”
Two Chadwick students sitting on a bench on Vanderlip Lawn.
Chadwick teacher smiles as they work with their classroom in the Chadwick Canyon.

“Year by year, their curriculum lays a foundation that allows for true understanding of concepts, critical thinking and expression through art and writing. I am so grateful to have this village supporting my family.”

Chadwick Parent

Three Chadwick students walk uphill with backpacks on.

Never Settling

Chadwick students don’t settle for simply checking a box or doing what’s always been done. They’re encouraged to keep asking questions, keep improving and keep moving forward — even when things are going well. Our Core Values of compassion, fairness, honesty, respect and responsibility guide that mindset every day, starting in kindergarten.

While high standards are part of the culture here, so is curiosity. Whether students are exploring new ideas in STEM, participating in a classroom discussion on a literary work or reflecting on what could be done better next time, they learn that growth is an ongoing process. At Chadwick, each success is considered a new starting line.

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Chadwick student crosses arms and smiles at the camera on sixth-grade trip.

 

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Donna Trombone

Upper School Student

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Donna Trombone

Upper School Student

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Donna Trombone

Upper School Student

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Second-graders investigate plate tectonics and quick changes to the earth’s surface by building clay model volcanoes, and making them erupt, to see how the “lava” impacted the surrounding buildings, plant life and water.

Second graders investigate plate tectonics and quick changes to the earth’s surface.

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