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. 

ALL schools in California, traditional public, charter or private, have the same vaccine requirements for 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. 

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. 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 the average Mistwood family spends about $6000 a year on tuition and fees. That is less than $16 a day, or about the same as the commercially-prepared meal or  3 gallons of gas. 

If you consider that the average Mistwood student is in school for about 900 hours a year it comes to about $7 an hour. You can't hire a babysitter for that! And you are getting quality, personalized education for your child taught by highly trained professional educators. When looked at it that way Mistwood is quite the value. 

See here for more information on our tuition. 

No- currently we do not have the reserve funds to be able to offer a scholarship. However, we hope to be able to offer either scholarships OR sliding scale tuition in the near future. We do offer a 5% tuition reduction for hardship and siblings.

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. 

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 high standard. Mistwood is currently in the process of being accredited by WASC which all college prep high schools in California must be accredited by. 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 4:1. 

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 sssessments 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.