Mistwood is an independent, non-profit PRIVATE school. We do not receive any funds from the government. All of our funding comes from tuition. This also means that we have different and often less stringent requirements and mandates from the government and do not participate in any state standardized testing. 

No- Both schools have a long history in our community but are separate organizations. Mistwood Montessori is a a traditional Montessori primary school for children ages approximately 3-6 years old. Mistwood Educational Center uses a unique approach and serves students 5 to 18 years old. 

No- Both schools have a long history in our community but are separate organizations. Mistwood Montessori is a a traditional Montessori primary school for children ages approximately 3-6 years old. Mistwood Educational Center uses a unique approach and serves students 5 to 18 years old. 

ALL schools in California, traditional public, charter or private, have the same vaccine requirements for student enrolled in on-site education. The students vaccine documentation and/or exemption must be visible to the school through the CAIR system to be admitted to the school for on-site instruction. Students that are will be only participating in home based education do not have this requirement. For more information on vaccine requirements in CA please see the CA Department for Public Health. 

Members of our Learning Community (taking part in tutoring and enrichment) that are NOT enrolled in Mistwood TK-12 grade school do not have vaccine requirements. 

YES! All students at Mistwood learn to read, do math and other traditional academics. In groups 1 and 2 we focus on a holistic language approach to literacy. Thought we may not have always offered a class called "reading", "phonics", or "math"... We are teaching academics within all of our classes.  Also we believe and respect that students learn at different rates and path. We continue to give instruction in reading and math as students age while supporting students that have yet to master of skills so that they can  access all of the content in every class. See Learning to Reading At Mistwood for more information on our early literacy program. 

Bayside, California, a small rural community in Humboldt County. We are approximately 3 miles south of Humboldt State University. However, we accept and serve students from all over Humboldt county. 

As an independent private school Mistwood is not free. However, Mistwood provides a sliding scale tuition program that is based on Families individual finances. See here for more information on our tuition. 

No- However we do have a personalized tuition option. This is a sliding scale tiered option for families that qualify. 

 How it Works

1-You need to provide information about your family’s financial situation, including general income, expenses, assets, and debt. All of the information is submitted via FACTS, a third party (See here for why we use a third party). There is a $40 filing fee that will be credited to your deposit. If you do not want to provide information about your family’s financial situation you can choose Tier E.

2- Based on the Information the third party will match families with a Tier below that best matches your ability to contribute to the school. (See here for Independent Study tiers) 

3- If the Tier your family is matched with does not accurately represent your family's ability to contribute you are welcome to put in a request for a different tier. Mistwood will do its best to meet these requests, while meeting the costs of running the school. As you entrust the education of your most precious treasures to us, we entrust the financial health of the Mistwood to you. Our hope is that you have truly reflected on your means and on what you would like to inspire through your tuition payments.

No- We support families to educate their student however they feel is best and we offer "home study" (also know as independent study) options but in the end our teachers are creating transcripts and grades based solely on their professional judgement and observations of students abilities. 

If you are interested in homeschool support, see our Learning Community for more information.

No- Mistwood has no religious affiliation and meets the needs of students and families from a wide variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds. 

It is true that private schools don't need to be held to the same standards that public schools are, however, Mistwood does choose to hold itself to a different but equally high standard. Mistwood is accredited by WASC just as all college prep high schools in California. Additionally, at Mistwood we  track the progress of our alumni and check in with them to see how we can  better improve our school to prepare students for life after Mistwood. 

As part of the process of becoming an accredited school we have developed the following school wide learner outcome. These lay out what we expect graduating students to be able to do and be. 

School Wide Learner Outcomes

Mistwood Educational Center works consistently across all grades and classes to produce critical thinkers who are effective communicators and self advocates. Our students develop a strong sense of self, community, and ethics, and demonstrate readiness for independent adult life.  A Mistwood graduate will...

• Employ effective critical thinking skills, depth of knowledge, and complex reasoning necessary for lifelong learning.

• Have the skills, positive mindset, confidence, and discipline to navigate life's complex choices, and to achieve individual goals.

• Possess the perspective to appreciate the breadth and diversity of the world and its cultures, promoting open-mindedness, justice, respect, compassion, and a commitment to the common good.

• Demonstrate initiative rooted in both integrity and personal curiosity that is founded in a love of learning.

Anyone between the ages of 5-18 can apply to go to Mistwood Educational Center. Mistwood is a different educational structure than traditional school. Because of this it is crucial that students' parents  have a clear understanding of the Mistwood educational philosophies and vision before being able to decide if it is the right place for them. We want everyone that would benefit from Mistwood's unique approach to be able to attend, but in order to keep our student to teacher ratio around 8:1 we do cap our enrollment each year. 

We range from 20-40 students in Mistwood. From 2020 to 2022 covid-19 concerns required us to lower our max enrollment to 20 students. We are currently trying to increase enrollment to 30 student. Our class size vary from as small as 3 students to as large as 10. Our student to teacher ratio is 5:1. 

Our school day starts at 10am with drop off starting at 9am. The day is broken into class 4 periods with a 15+ minute break for snacks, play and socializing in between each period. Pick up for younger students is between 3:30 and 3:45. Older students have chores from 3:30 to 4:00 with pick up between 3:45 and 4:00. Tutoring is offered by appointment  from 4:00 to 4:30 for older students. 

We do not have classes on Friday, but an option Friday time for homework help and games is available at an additional cost (groups 1-3). School service time or teacher meeting can be arranged on Fridays. 

We love travel! At Mistwood we want students and families to focus on LEARNING, not on "work production". We are willing to work with families to develop a plan that works for them when they travel so that they can enjoy their time together and worry less about making up school work. 

Yes we do! At Mistwood, topics of  Social and Environmental Justice are woven through out classes and subject while supported by a dedicated courses on Identity, Diversity, and/or Ethical Action appropriate to the student's age and development. Additionally, to graduate from Mistwood High School's students must show competency in Ethical Skills based on Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance)and the Southern Poverty Law Center's  Social Justice Standards of: Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action. 

Our school does not group students based on "grade level" but in mixed age groups that work best for their academic and social development. 

We also don't use "grades" or "report cards" in the traditional manner. Gradeless education is an approach that aims to shift the focus from grades to learning. Instead of assigning grades, teachers provide feedback and work with students to help them improve their understanding and skills. The goal of this approach is to create a more holistic and meaningful learning experience, where students can focus on their personal growth and development rather than just getting a good grade. Assessing students without grades can be done in a variety of ways. Some alternatives to traditional grading methods use at Mistwood include: narrative feedback, portfolios and asssessments based on mastery of a skill or content. 

For more information on gradeless education and grading reform please see our post on Gradeless Education at Mistwood OR the book Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms by Joe Feldman. 

Mistwood Educational Center embraces the ideals of progressive education. Progressive education, emerging in late 19th-century Europe and the U.S., champions holistic development and “learning by doing” to nurture physical, emotional, and intellectual growth. It embraces creative arts and student-lead classrooms, with key figures including John Dewey, Maria Montessori, and Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf Schools) and John Holt.

Our Mission is to: 

• To recognize every student's individuality, strengths, needs and capacity to succeed in their own time,

• To vary our teaching methods according to the needs of each student,

• To strive to develop each student’s ability to think creatively and analytically,

• To support each student in developing their personal growth: academically, socially, and emotionally.

The short answer is NO. 

Private school do not/cannot offer IEPs as an IEP is in essence a contract between the parent/student and the government (in the form of a public school). 

Students with an IEP that move to a private school are offered an ISP (Individual Service Plan) by the public school system.  Mistwood's student's ISPs are managed by Jacoby Creek School. The public school district can choose what services, if any, they offer through the ISP. Historically the only services offered to Mistwood's students through the ISP is consultation between the public school and the private school staff and speech. 

Even though Mistwood cannot offer "IEP services, accommodations and modifications" can offer personalized learning supports that are comparable to some IEP services, accommodations and modifications. For a list of comparable learning supports that we have offered in the passed, see here.