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ABOUT 

Crestmont School is a cooperative K-8 school located in the scenic hills of Richmond, California. It was founded in 1969 with the mission to cultivate a creative learning environment for children of all backgrounds where students become critical thinkers, skillful collaborators, and courageous change-making citizens. We intentionally group students into multi-age classes and across multiple grades to enhance individual learning.

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OUR CORE VALUES

Individual

Attention

Every child’s voice, identity, and expression matters. Our teachers create a dynamic curriculum that respects and responds to the dignity of each child. Our low student-to-adult ratio makes it possible to offer differentiated and  teaching styles to meet each child’s needs. This educational approach supports children to find and express their unique voices, and to learn how to contribute to positive change in the world.

Social-Emotional Development

We teach and nurture the skills of self-awareness, self-management, awareness of others, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These skills foster community and civic involvement throughout a child’s life.

Academic Excellence for Every Student

We define rigor as work that challenges students in new and interesting ways. Our curriculum is engaging, stretches thinking, and cultivates a love of deep knowledge. Our philosophy focuses on being responsive to children’s interests to create meaningful learning experiences, with a balance between well-planned strategic lessons and those that are adaptable and driven by curiosity. In this environment, children ask questions, think critically and creatively, and develop excellent problem-solving skills.

Social Justice Curriculum

Crestmont's commitment to social justice began in the 1970s. Students continue the tradition today – speaking up and being activists for their beliefs.

We are committed to teaching in a way that empowers students to grapple with real-world problems, co-create solutions, and engage in practical actions. Our social justice curriculum starts with issues of fairness and moves up into environmental, racial and economic justice issues. Students learn about social movements and change. Through these investigations, students develop tools to take action in their communities. 

Diversity & Inclusion

We recruit, welcome, and affirm children, families, and faculty who reflect the diversity of the Bay Area. The co-op structure and affordable tuition support this commitment. Inclusion and diversity figure into all aspects of our curriculum, including mentoring and social-emotional development. We celebrate and honor the diverse cultures and multiple perspectives of our classroom communities through our thoughtfully designed, evidence-based curriculum.

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