What The Willows Community School does

The Willows Community School is a private, not-for-profit independent school serving 479 students from Developmental Kindergarten through 8th grade on a single 4-acre, 5-building campus (142,000 square feet) at 8509 Higuera Street in Culver City, California. Founded in March 1994, the school draws families from 51 Los Angeles-area zip codes spanning South Bay, San Fernando Valley, and East Los Angeles. Tuition ranges from $36,025 (DK) to $46,905 (6th-8th grade), with 22% of students receiving need-based aid from a $3 million annual budget and 43% identifying as students of color. The 2024-2025 operating budget is $23.3 million.

The school's academic model integrates a decade-long Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence RULER social emotional learning program (in place since 2015, the first West Coast RULER school) with a STEAM2/Maker curriculum built on Stanford d.School design thinking methodology, a 1:1 device program running from DK through 8th grade, and specialized departments covering visual arts, performing arts, athletics (40 league championships since 2001), media literacy, and a 26,000-volume library. Technology infrastructure comprises STEAMStudio, makerLabs, designLab, and digitally interactive classrooms; the school does not disclose any proprietary AI/ML systems, with its technology layer centered on digital learning tools, design thinking pedagogy, and SEL frameworks rather than artificial intelligence. Administrative leadership has been continuous since founding, with Lisa Rosenstein serving as Head of School for 30 years and 47% of faculty having taught at the school for 10+ years.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual tuition, supplemented by fundraising via The Willows Fund, GiveCampus-powered online giving, and capital campaigns. The school distributes through a structured direct admissions funnel comprising inquiry forms, campus tours, coffees with the Head of School, a January 9 application deadline for DK-8, Veracross online application portal, and parent ambassadors supported by community events and an Ideas@TheWillows speaker series featuring figures such as Marc Brackett, Dr. Lisa Damour, and Michael Thompson. The institution is governed by a Board of Trustees, has no parent company or venture capital backing, and was recognized on the Hollywood Reporter's Best Private Schools List 2025 and received the Yale Marvin Maurer Award for Leadership in Social Emotional Learning.

Name

The Willows Community School

Legal name

The Willows Community School

Website

https://thewillows.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Willows Community School is a not-for-profit independent DK-8 school in Culver City, California, serving 479 students from 51 Los Angeles zip codes. It delivers progressive education integrating Yale RULER social emotional learning and STEAM2/Maker programming, funded primarily by recurring tuition and fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM/STEAM-Focused Private K–12 Schools (EDAJABAM)

Keywords

• Private K-8 education
• Progressive school programs
• Social emotional learning
• STEAM education
• Independent school tuition

Headquarters

HQ city

Culver City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Primary revenue source from tuition payments for DK-8th grade education. Tuition varies by grade level: DK ($36,025), K-5th ($41,350), 6th-8th ($46,905). Additional revenue from student services fees and registration deposits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Willows Community School delivers a tuition-based DK-8 progressive private school education on a single 4-acre Culver City campus, enrolling approximately 479 students across Lower School (DK-5) and Middle School (6-8). Its offering integrates core academics with specialized programs in RULER social-emotional learning, STEAM2/Maker design thinking, visual and performing arts, athletics, and 1:1 device-integrated classrooms, supported by need-based financial aid and community events.

Product overview

The Willows Community School is a DK-8 independent private school offering a unified educational program built on a balanced progressive philosophy. The core offerings include Lower School (DK-5) and Middle School (6-8) programs supplemented by specialized departments: STEAM2/Maker with design thinking, RULER social emotional learning (Yale Center partnership), Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Athletics, 1:1 Technology integration, Media Literacy, and Library/Media Center. The school integrates these programs through interdisciplinary learning, looping practices, and a comprehensive speaker series. The program serves 470 students across a 4-acre campus with 5 buildings, maintaining a 1:1 device-to-student ratio from DK through 8th grade.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lower School Program (DK-5) Developmental Kindergarten through 5th grade educational program for children ages 4-11, emphasizing experiential learning, looping practices (students stay with same teacher for two years), creative expression, and technology integration starting with 1:1 devices. Annual tuition $36,025 (DK) and $41,350 (K-5).
• Middle School Program (6-8) 6th through 8th grade program for students ages 11-14 featuring single-sex math and PE classes, one-to-one laptop program, intersession week, and preparation for selective Los Angeles secondary school placements. Annual tuition $46,905.
• STEAM2/Maker/Design Thinking Program Interdisciplinary program integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, and Maker spaces using Stanford d.School design thinking methodology, with makerLabs, designLab, and STEAMStudio equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, robotics, and video production tools. Available to DK-8 students.
• RULER Social Emotional Learning Program Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence's RULER approach (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, Regulating emotions) integrated school-wide since 2015, encompassing mood meters, meta-moment exercises, and family engagement tools for all DK-8 students.
• Visual Arts Program Comprehensive visual arts education from developmental kindergarten through 8th grade with developmentally appropriate projects integrated into classroom curriculum and weekly specialist-led art periods in a dedicated Art Studio.
• Performing Arts Program Music program using Orff Schulwerk approach, drama and dance integrated into curriculum, five choirs with competition awards, electronic music studio, and three Middle School theater productions annually in black box theater.
• Athletics Program Interscholastic athletics in the Pacific Basin League with 'everyone plays' (no-cut) philosophy across co-ed flag football, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track, tennis, and golf; offers 28 teams across 9 sports with 82% middle-school participation.
• Library/Media Center Library and media center with 26,000+ volumes and digital resources, redesigned as a fluid dynamic space conducive to interdisciplinary learning and intellectual discourse, serving all DK-8 students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 470 students enrolled from 51 zip codes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yale Center for Emotional IntelligencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Deep partnership since 2015 implementing the RULER (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, Regulating) social emotional learning approach. The Willows was the first West Coast RULER school and hosts annual training events. In 2018, The Willows co-hosted the first West Coast RULER training with 100 teachers from 22 schools. Celebrating 10 years of partnership in 2025.
• Teach AAPiminorOthersPartnership focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and resources.
• Brentwood SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExchange program partnership where The Willows hosted Korean students from Brentwood School during an exchange program after LA wildfires.
• Celsiusskolan (Sweden)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership where The Willows shared its RULER and social emotional learning experience with teachers from the Swedish school during professional development visits.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mirman School: Independent K-8 school for gifted learners in Los Angeles. Comparable progressive, project-based curriculum with strong STEAM emphasis; competes for academically oriented LA families seeking single-campus K-8.
• Curtis School: Independent K-6 school in Los Angeles with progressive philosophy, single-campus model, and emphasis on social-emotional development. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and target demographic to The Willows' lower school.
• Campbell Hall: Independent K-12 school in Studio City/LA with progressive Episcopal tradition. Comparable scale, college-prep outcomes, and overlapping applicant pool for LA families considering K-8 progressive education.
• Westside Neighborhood School: Independent progressive K-8 school in Playa Vista/LA Westside. Directly comparable in curriculum philosophy, technology integration, and tuition tier; competes for the same progressive-education-oriented LA families.
• Harvard-Westlake School: Elite LA independent 7-12 school with strong college placement. Cited explicitly by Willows alumni as a destination school; competes for the same West LA affluent families at the middle-school transition point.
• Brentwood School: Premier LA independent K-12 school in Brentwood. Comparable student demographics, college-prep outcomes, and is an explicit placement target for Willows graduates - making it both a competitor for incoming families and a downstream high school option.
• Turning Point School: Independent progressive K-8 school in Culver City/LA. Operates in the same micro-market as The Willows with comparable progressive philosophy, SEL emphasis, and tuition - a head-to-head competitor for Westside families.
• The Buckley School: Independent K-8 school in Sherman Oaks serving LA families with similar developmental, character-focused curriculum and comparable tuition tier. Direct competitor for families seeking a single-campus K-8 experience.
• Crossroads School: Santa Monica-based progressive independent K-12 school serving LA families. Comparable progressive philosophy, college-prep curriculum, similar tuition tier, and overlapping applicant pool in the LA Westside market.
• Wesley School: Independent K-8 school in North Hollywood/LA with progressive, project-based curriculum. Comparable in pedagogical philosophy, tuition tier, and target demographic of LA families seeking developmental K-8 education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100058304844561
• Instagraminstagram.com/willowscommschool
• Xx.com/WillowsSchool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Willows Community School