Squaw Valley Academy

Step into the nestled community of Olympic Valley, California and you’ll find Squaw Valley Academy, a co-ed, international boarding school for students in grades 9-12. Squaw Valley Academy balances strong academics with lifelong athletics. Our graduates earn 100% college acceptance, our students participate in daily outdoor sports, and they enjoy local and regional activities.

Established in 1978, Squaw Valley Academy continues to recognize the importance of lifelong sports participation, imparting a sense of accomplishment and increasing student self-esteem. The location of Squaw Valley Academy is less than two miles from Squaw Valley USA, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics. The location is ideal for students pursuing recreational or competitive winter sports. With the recent Squaw Valley USA – Alpine Meadows mountain merge, students may now enjoy two different ski resorts; each utilizing one side of the mountain and offering students, and patrons alike, a variety of terrain, excitement, and challenges for all skill levels. Currently, Squaw Valley Academy students may take advantage of three competitive teams: Squaw Valley Ski Team, offers Junior I, Junior II, and Junior III downhill skiing and gate training (slalom); Squaw Valley Freestyle Team, provides developmental and competitive levels of freestyle skiing; and Squaw Valley Snowboard Team, offers racing and freestyle coaching.

Students at Squaw Valley Academy, whether first time or expert, benefit from individualized instruction, designed to hone their skills in snowboarding, skiing and cross-country skiing, provided they meet or exceed Squaw Valley Academy’s academic standards. Students who meet those standards may ski or snowboard daily throughout the winter season. Students who do not meet those academic standards, or one who’s grades have declined, must attend Opportunity Study Hall, in addition to the week-night, mandatory Study Hall, Sunday through Thursday.

The school’s location in the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range of Northern California gives students an endless supply of outdoor activities during the warmer seasons including: fly-fishing, mountain biking, river rafting, rock climbing, hiking, and camping. Students also enjoy more traditional sports including our intramural soccer and basketball teams, or non-competitive sports such as golf, tennis, yoga, and swimming.

Though our area is enticing, Squaw Valley Academy’s primary concentration is preparing our students for academic achievement and ensuring our graduates earn university/college acceptances. Squaw Valley Academy provides individualized instruction and attention to students, with an average class size of 9 students and a teacher to student ratio of 1:9. As mentioned above, all students attend mandatory, two-hour evening Study Halls, Sunday through Thursday. We offer Advanced Placement courses, earning students’ college credit; SAT prep classes to maintain aptitude and comprehension; and ESL courses for international students at a variety of levels. Squaw Valley Academy is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and uses the approved curriculum from the University of California, Berkeley.

Squaw Valley Academy complements our rigorous academics by engaging students in a wide-range of mountain and field sports. Twice a year, students depart from campus on a five-day Outdoor Education excursion, designed to engage students through field education, interaction, excitement and activity. Squaw Valley Academy arranges Outdoor Excursions prior to student arrival, though previous excursions have included: surfing in Santa Cruz, CA; mountain biking in Moab, UT; rock climbing Yosemite National Park; and river-rafting the Colorado River, among others. Apart from sports and excursions, students also enjoy supervised activities to movie theaters, arcades, amusement parks, restaurants, fine arts, and music events.

By creating a stable, creative, and invigorating academic foundation for each student, Squaw Valley Academy knows that every student who graduates from our school has the necessary tools for academic and independent success. For more information, please visit our website: www.sva.org