The Nueva School

The Nueva School is a private school that serves talented children in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade on two campuses: the lower and middle school in Hillsborough, and the high school in San Mateo, California. Karen Stone McCown created Nueva in 1967. Originally serving mainly younger kids, the Nueva School expanded to include a high school in 2013, and a new campus was created as part of the Bay Meadows development in San Mateo, which opened in August 2014.

Nueva's curriculum is distinguished by its emphasis on design thinking and social-emotional learning. Commentator Thomas Friedman praised Nueva for its creativity-inspiring curriculum and general attitude in his book That Used To Be Us.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the California Association of Independent Schools both accredit Nueva. The United States Department of Education awarded it the Blue Ribbon Award in 1988, 1997, and 2010. In 2021, Niche ranked Nueva as the #3 private K-12 school and the #9 private high school in the United States.

Founded: 1967
Location: Hillsborough and San Mateo, California, United States
Campuses: Hillsborough, Bay Meadows
Headmaster: Lee Fertig
Grades: PreK-12
Gender: Co-education
Type: Private, Inter-level school
Number of students: 930
Yearly tuition fee: $53,350
Website: https://www.nuevaschool.org
Phone: (650) 350-4600