A forward-looking school, Marin Academy develops the tools, as well as the critical and creative thinking necessary for students to chart their course in the world. We empower students by putting them at the center of their education, and requiring them to play an active role in their quest for meaning and purpose. The curriculum focuses on problems, projects, and questions because we value thinking deeply about issues. All good schools value critical thinking, as do we. Great schools, however, value teaching creative thinking and problem solving. Scholars, athletes, and artists demonstrate our commitment to collaboration as they both learn and understand the value of working with others and grow their appetite to pursue their own passions, questions, and paths. Diverse perspectives are encouraged and respected as we value innovative thought and action, intellectual curiosity and individual difference. We also pride ourselves on being a community whose members appreciate how difficult it is to navigate adolescence and high school and display empathy toward each other through the ups and downs.

Marin Academy traditions extend our values of innovation and inquiry. Our Conference on Democracy brings national experts to campus to explore perspectives on political, social, environmental, and economic issues. Minicourse, a week spent outside of the classroom, provides the opportunity for experiential learning, such as hiking and caving in Zion National Park or teaching children in Northern Mexico. Literary Festival gets our students working with internationally acclaimed writers representing many different genres, and finding new ways to make meaning with language.