Brilliantly Balanced
At Bentley, every student's horizons expand by balancing
- exploration and focus
- collaboration and individual work
- hard work and fun
- feedback and self-evaluation
- diversity and inclusivity
- independence and support
Learn more about all that Bentley School has to offer!
Contact the Admissions Office
925-900-4072
admissions@bentleyschool.org
Quick Facts
Low student-to-faculty ratio - 8:1
Financial Aid Available
The average qualifying grant size is 60% of annual tuition.
Free bus transportation
Routes from Alameda, Berkeley, Danville, Kensington, Lafayette, Oakland, Orinda, and Walnut Creek.
100% of students admitted to 4-year colleges
including Stanford, Georgetown, Oxford, Yale, UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC, Southern Methodist University, US Naval Academy, and NYU.
One School: Two Campuses
One School: Two Campuses
- The Oakland Hills campus for grades K-8 is located on Hiller Drive off of Highway 24 (Exit #6)
- The Lafayette campus for grades 9-12 is right off of Highway 24 in Lafayette (Exit #11)
A Balanced Schedule
Built into each student’s schedule, twice-per-week Flex periods in grades 6-12 provide regular time and space to meet with teachers, get a jump on homework, meet for class and club collaboration, or play some ping pong if you need a mental break! At Bentley, the day is centered around ensuring students have a balanced approach to learning. Learning to navigate unstructured time means students are prepared for Upper School, college, and beyond.
Built into each student’s schedule, twice-per-week Flex periods in grades 6-12 provide regular time and space to meet with teachers, get a jump on homework, meet for class and club collaboration, or play some ping pong if you need a mental break! At Bentley, the day is centered around ensuring students have a balanced approach to learning. Learning to navigate unstructured time means students are prepared for Upper School, college, and beyond.
A Dedicated Faculty
At their core, Bentley teachers are mentors who guide students along a path of personal and academic discovery. They make themselves available both inside and outside the classroom—to revisit a confounding math equation one more time, to cheer on the sidelines or in the theatre, and to listen as a student works through a challenging writing prompt. Experts in their areas of study, Bentley teachers embody our long-time motto Scire Desidero: I Desire to Know.
At their core, Bentley teachers are mentors who guide students along a path of personal and academic discovery. They make themselves available both inside and outside the classroom—to revisit a confounding math equation one more time, to cheer on the sidelines or in the theatre, and to listen as a student works through a challenging writing prompt. Experts in their areas of study, Bentley teachers embody our long-time motto Scire Desidero: I Desire to Know.
A Just-right-sized Community
Not too big and not too small, Bentley provides an environment where every student is seen and known for their individual talents and contributions to the community. With intentionally small classes that allow for individualized attention, your student will be honored and heard. Our just-right size helps foster close, personal relationships between students and their teachers, with advisors providing guidance and support as students navigate their own learning trajectory.
A Challenging College Prep Curriculum
Defined by complex, engaging courses and the expertise of exceptional faculty, Bentley’s Upper School encourages students to be transformative learners and leaders. With the support of deans, advisors, and teachers, students take charge of their learning and prepare for their future beyond Bentley. Throughout the School, an emphasis on creative engagement and authentic intellectual work abounds. Academically enthusiastic, principled, and vibrant, our graduates bring their joy for learning, leadership, and sense of self to college, to professional and graduate schools, and to their workplaces.
A Breadth of Opportunities
Our college-like atmosphere teaches students to manage their time and themselves—lessons that will serve them well as they step out into the world. An array of co-curricular offerings ensures balance in the lives of all Bentley students. As their academic agility expands, they advance as artists, writers, athletes, and leaders. Students may elect to become peer counselors for younger students or serve as affinity group leaders. They can be in Student Government, try out for the speech and debate team, play a Varsity sport, or collaborate with fellow student engineers to build prosthetic hands using a 3D printer.
A Path to Your Brilliant Future
At the heart of Bentley’s college counseling program is the conviction that each student’s path to college is uniquely their own. We aim to create an open-minded environment and want students to identify colleges where they will be able to thrive as students, citizens, and people, recognizing all the while that the year-long college application experience can be an exciting journey of self-discovery, growth, and transformation. By asking each student to explore the essential questions of adolescence – “Who am I? What do I want? What will I make of this opportunity?” – our process enables students to build from these early answers to college choices that represent the best fit: academically, socially, and culturally.
Interested in applying to Bentley School?
Click below to begin the application process.
Click below to begin the application process.
