The Chadwick CUP
When Chadwick opened its doors in 1935, we were establishing roots in what was — at the time — the open countryside of coastal Palos Verdes. Since then, Chadwick and the neighboring communities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have grown together.
Chadwick has grown from a modest boarding school into a successful K-12 educational institution drawing diverse students from more than 56 communities in Los Angeles County, and the Peninsula has grown from a collection of hundreds of pioneering families to a population of more than 78,000.
Chadwick strives every day to live by our Core Values of compassion, fairness, honesty, respect and responsibility. These values are embraced by our entire community – students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and members of our board of trustees – and guide us everywhere we operate – on campus, with our neighbors, in the South Bay, and globally. We place a premium on enhancing the community around us and building positive relationships with our neighbors – listening, sharing and working diligently and respectfully.
Our Mission
While so much has changed over the past 90+ years, our Mission has endured: Chadwick School develops global citizens with keen minds, exemplary character, self-knowledge and the ability to lead. We are proud to pursue that Mission here on the exquisite Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Protecting and enhancing the beautiful and contemplative educational environment that stays true to the Peninsula's natural landscape is critical to our Mission today. So too is the integration of modern teaching practices and facilities that enable our students to learn the skills that will allow them to thrive and be ready to change the world in the 21st century!
Our Vision
The Courageous Pursuit of Goodness and Greatness
The world doesn’t just need great doers, thinkers, makers and leaders — it needs those people to be really good people, too. At Chadwick, we’re committed to developing both the hearts and minds of every student who joins our community. We combine character and values with excellence; forging curious thinkers who are flexible, creative, nimble and collaborative. Because we believe great people, who are good, can change the world. Watch our video here for more information.
Our Campus
Two decades ago, we formalized Chadwick's plans for the future by working with our faculty and staff, neighbors, and community partners throughout the South Bay. Together, we made important decisions on a variety of topics, including an enrollment cap, transportation management programs and other neighborhood protections; 21st-century academic, sports and arts facilities; and additional on-campus housing to support members of our faculty. Here are some of the highlights of our campus today:
The Original Roessler Hall
Roessler Hall — named after Chadwick co-founders Fred and Edna Roessler — was one of the first buildings on Chadwick's campus, completed in 1938. The building's original architecture has been maintained and today it houses classrooms for Upper School students and offices for Upper School administrators and faculty.
Center for Performing Arts
Our 400-seat Geoffrey Alan Laverty Center for the Performing Arts serves as an indoor theater space, and includes classrooms and dedicated dance and music studios. We love watching our talented students perform!
Faculty Housing
One unique part of Chadwick life is that some members of our faculty live on campus, allowing them to become fully integrated into Chadwick life (with no commute to work!) Modern on-campus housing will help us to continue to attract the best faculty in the world.
Baseball Field
Renovated in 2020, Chadwick's Lichtenstein Family Field features new synthetic turf, new scoreboards and new dugouts.
21st Century Learning
Completed in 2020, Chadwick's Innovation and Design Building is a state-of-the-art facility where our students experience a hands-on approach to cross-disciplinary, cross-divisional and real-world opportunities in innovation, research and STEM fields.
Our Next Chapter
It's hard to believe that Chadwick has been educating tomorrow's leaders for 90 years here on this beautiful hillside, while striving to give back to the community with whom we have grown. Time has flown by, and it's been more than 20 years since the County of Los Angeles approved our campus plans. Now, we are engaged in establishing a new Conditional Use Permit (CUP).
We love and care for our neighborhood, and we look forward to continuing the positive community relationships we have built by extending our existing commitments and making some modifications reflecting the lessons we've learned together. Much of the original agreement is not changing. This includes:
- Keeping the enrollment cap in place.
- Maintaining the number of approved faculty residences.
- Keeping the limit on additional square footage.
We are also updating the transportation management program to incorporate modern-day best practices and build upon important lessons learned over the last 20 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What is a Conditional Use Permit and why does Chadwick need one? |
|---|
|
A Conditional Use Permit "CUP" is a document issued by L.A. County that governs the development and operation of schools such as Chadwick to ensure they are compatible and harmonious with the needs of the surrounding community. Our CUP guides many aspects of the school's operations, including our enrollment, hours of operation, Transportation Demand Management Plan, and more. The CUP we are seeking from Los Angeles County includes protections for the surrounding community while providing us with the flexibility to adapt to the evolving requirements of a 21st-century education. Our current CUP was approved in 2002 for 20 years, and expired in 2022. We have been working with Los Angeles County on the renewal process since 2020. Rezoning and COVID-19 issues at the County have caused delays in the approval process.
|
| What is the process for receiving a Conditional Use Permit? |
|
Chadwick submitted its application for a new CUP to the L.A. County Regional Planning Commission. The provisions of the new CUP are very similar to those of the previous CUP. The application goes through a public, transparent review process guided by the County Zoning Code and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which provide opportunities for community participation and engagement. These include the chance to review our application and supporting documentation, to submit written comments, and address County decision-makers at a public hearing. Chadwick is committed to an inclusive and transparent application process. We have been meeting regularly with the neighboring community to keep them informed of our plans and welcome feedback from neighbors and community members. We will continually refresh this website with updates and new information.
|
| How long will the new CUP be in effect? |
|
We are requesting a CUP with very similar provisions to those of the current CUP. It could almost be considered a renewal or extension of the current permit. Our proposed CUP:
In a few areas, we are seeking to simplify, modernize, and streamline the CUP's provisions so they better meet the needs of the school as well as the community for the next two decades. We are also seeking to update our Transportation Demand Management Plan to incorporate best practices and build on the lessons we've learned over the past 20 years. Overall, the updated CUP will allow us to keep pace with the evolving demands of a contemporary education and continue fulfilling our Mission for students, while continuing to be a great neighbor in the Academy Hill and broader Palos Verdes area.
|
| Is Chadwick contemplating increasing its existing enrollment cap? |
|
No. Our requested CUP proposes maintaining the same enrollment cap Chadwick currently operates under. This will allow us to maintain our 1:8 faculty-student ratio, which we believe is the optimal class size for a world-class education.
|
| Does Chadwick plan to expand its facility construction program? |
|
No. Our requested CUP proposes to maintain the same level of development for our campus as established back in 2002.
|
| Does Chadwick plan to expand its facility construction program? |
| No. Our requested CUP proposes to maintain the same level of development for our campus as established back in 2002. |
