What Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences does

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences is a private, nonprofit, K-12 independent school founded in 1971 in Santa Monica, California, by Paul Cummins and Rhoda Makoff. It currently serves 1,202 students across three divisions—Elementary School (K-5, 313 students on the Norton Campus at 1715 Olympic Boulevard), Middle School (6-8, 311 students), and Upper School (9-12, 578 students), the latter two co-located on the 21st Street Campus at 1714 21st Street. The school delivers a progressive, college-preparatory curriculum integrating academics, the arts (including the Elizabeth Mandel Music Institute and the Sam Francis Gallery), athletics, experiential/outdoor education, Life Skills (with signature "Senior Mysteries"), social justice curriculum, and the Equity & Justice Institute. Notable infrastructure includes a filmmaking classroom, electronic music and recording studio, music production lab, and the 58,000-square-foot Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts (650-seat Stern Family Theater and 100-seat recital hall) opening Spring 2026.

The school's revenue model is a hybrid of recurring tuition from K-12 families, fees from the public Summer at Crossroads program (open to students entering grades K-12 from June 15-July 24), third-party facility rentals (including partner programs Tech Revolution by Lavner Education and Creator Camp), and a substantial fundraising operation anchored by the Worlds Unimagined Capital Campaign, which has raised $53 million of a $54 million goal. Affordability is institutionalized through an Affordability Program serving one in four students. Student and faculty demographics skew diverse (56% and 46% people of color respectively), and an alumni network of nearly 5,000 across 50+ graduating classes supports admissions referrals, mentorship, and donor development.

Crossroads is governed by a Board of Trustees as an autonomous 501(c)(3) with no parent company or outside equity ownership. Its core go-to-market is a community-led open-enrollment admissions process, supplemented by dedicated admission events per division, public events (aquatics, speaker series), and digital channels (website, Facebook, Instagram, Cross Sections Magazine). Strategic direction is articulated through the Bezdek Center project and the Equity & Justice Institute, both signaling deepened investment in arts, social-justice programming, and facility modernization rather than geographic or enrollment expansion.

Name

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences

Legal name

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences

Website

https://xrds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences is a nonprofit K-12 independent school in Santa Monica, founded 1971, serving 1,202 students across Elementary, Middle, and Upper School divisions on two campuses. It delivers progressive college-preparatory education integrating academics, arts, and social justice, supported by tuition, summer programs, and a $53M capital campaign.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Magnet & Specialty Schools (STEM/Arts/IB/CTE) (EDAJAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alternative Schools (Behavioral/Disciplinary & Nontraditional Settings) (EDAJAEAC)

Keywords

• Private K-12 education
• Independent school programs
• Progressive education services
• College preparatory education
• Arts integrated curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. K-12 Tuition: Primary revenue from tuition payments for K-12 educational programs across Elementary School (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and Upper School (9-12). The school offers an Affordability Program with 1 in 4 students receiving some form of financial aid.
2. Summer Programs: Summer at Crossroads offers programs for students entering grades K-12, including one-week sessions, academic credit classes, aquatics programs, and specialized camps. Programs are open to the public and run June 15-July 24 annually.
3. Facilities Rental: The school rents out spaces in the Bezdek Center to outside organizations, particularly nonprofit community partners, for meetings, speaking engagements and performances.
4. Donations and Fundraising: The Worlds Unimagined Capital Campaign funds major initiatives. The Bezdek Center project goal is $54 million with $53 million already raised. The school accepts various donation methods including credit card, stock transfer, wire/ACH, recurring gifts, legacy giving, and donor advised funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences is a private, nonprofit K-12 independent school serving approximately 1,202 students across Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8), and Upper (9-12) School divisions on two Santa Monica campuses. The school offers a progressive, college-preparatory education integrating rigorous academics with extensive arts, social-emotional learning, life skills, athletics, and social justice programming. Additional offerings include Summer at Crossroads (open to the public for grades K-12), the Equity & Justice Institute, the Elizabeth Mandel Music Institute (classical music), and the upcoming Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts.

Product overview

Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences offers a K-12 educational program with multiple divisions (Elementary School K-5, Middle School 6-8, Upper School 9-12) and summer programming. The school's educational portfolio includes core academics alongside specialized programs such as EMMI (music), the Sam Francis Gallery (visual arts), the Elizabeth Mandel Music Institute (classical music), and the Equity & Justice Institute (social justice). Summer offerings include the school's own Summer at Crossroads program and partner programs Tech Revolution and Creator Camp. The institution is constructing the Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts (opening 2026), which will provide state-of-the-art performing arts facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Summer at Crossroads: Summer programs for students entering grades K-12, offered June 15-July 24, 2026. Open to the public.
• Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts
• Equity & Justice Institute
• Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute (EMMI)

Products and services

• K-12 Educational Programs Comprehensive K-12 progressive college-preparatory program combining academics, the arts, athletics, experiential and outdoor education, life skills, and social justice curriculum, delivered across Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8), and Upper (9-12) School divisions for enrolled students.
• Summer at Crossroads Summer enrichment program offered June 15-July 24 each year, open to the public for students entering grades K-12. Includes one-week sessions, academic intensives, credit classes, aquatics, swim lessons, Jr. Lifeguard Certification, and Friday Fun Days.
• Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts 58,000-square-foot performing arts center opening Spring 2026 that will house state-of-the-art teaching, performance, and rehearsal spaces including a 650-seat Stern Family Theater, a 100-seat recital hall (The Mary Ann), multipurpose filmmaking classroom, five music classrooms, electronic music and recording studio, and an Equity & Justice Institute seminar room. Spaces are also rented to outside nonprofit organizations.
• Elizabeth Mandel Music Institute (EMMI) The school's classical music program, considered one of the finest in the country, offered as part of the arts curriculum for enrolled Crossroads students with a separate admissions pathway.
• Sam Francis Gallery On-campus art gallery showcasing alumni and faculty artwork as part of the school's visual arts programming.
• Equity & Justice Institute Institute focused on equity, justice, and social responsibility education featuring a lecture series, seminar room within the Bezdek Center, and the CDF Freedom Schools Program providing summer and after-school reading enrichment for children in grades K-12.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 4 students receive financial aid through Affordability Program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lavner Education - Tech RevolutionminorOthersTech Revolution is an independent STEM and technology camp program operated by Lavner Education on the Crossroads 21st Street Campus. The program offers week-long camps for students ages 6-14 covering robotics, coding, game design, Minecraft, Roblox, and artificial intelligence. Registration is handled directly through Lavner Education, separate from Crossroads enrollment.
• Creator CampminorOthersCreator Camp is an independent creative technology program that operates on the Crossroads Norton Campus. The program helps students ages 5-13 learn to design and produce digital content including animation, filmmaking, game design, music production, and digital storytelling. Registration is handled directly through Creator Camp.
• CDF Freedom Schools ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CDF Freedom Schools Program is part of Crossroads' Equity & Justice Institute. This program provides summer and after-school reading enrichment for children in grades K-12, helping to develop reading skills and a love of learning while promoting social action and community engagement.
• Zoltan E. Pali / SPF:a ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZoltan E. Pali is the founder and design principal of SPF:a, the architecture firm designing the 58,000-square-foot Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts. SPF:a has received over 80 national and regional design awards including the American Architecture Award for Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The Bezdek Center is scheduled to open in Spring 2026.
• Low Hanging Fruit Compost CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLow Hanging Fruit is a compost collective started by alumna Ella Larsen '16 that collects shells from seafood restaurants and processes them for community soil enrichment. The collective collaborated with Crossroads Middle School during the Week of Action sustainability programming.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marlborough School: Marlborough is a prestigious private girls' school in Los Angeles serving grades 7-12. It competes for the same progressive, college-preparatory LA families and has comparable tuition and program offerings to Crossroads' Upper School.
• Brentwood School: Brentwood School is a private K-12 independent school on the east side of Los Angeles, founded in 1972, serving a similar progressive, college-preparatory audience as Crossroads. It is the most direct competitor for tuition-paying LA families seeking a holistic K-12 education.
• Harvard-Westlake School: Harvard-Westlake is one of the largest and most prestigious private K-12 schools in Los Angeles, with a strong college-prep academic program. It directly competes with Crossroads' Upper School for high-achieving LA families.
• Windward School: Windward School is a private K-12 independent school on the west side of Los Angeles focused on college preparation. It serves overlapping LA families in a similar price tier and is a direct competitor for middle and upper school enrollment.
• Chadwick School: Chadwick is a private K-12 day school on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It is comparable in independent K-12 model, college-preparatory program, and progressive educational philosophy, and competes for South Bay LA families who might also consider Crossroads.
• Archer School for Girls: Archer is a private, all-girls K-12 school in Los Angeles with a progressive educational philosophy. It is highly comparable to Crossroads in mission, programmatic emphasis on arts and social justice, and LA west-side family base.
• Wildwood School: Wildwood is a progressive private K-12 school on LA's west side, emphasizing experiential and project-based learning. It is highly comparable to Crossroads in progressive pedagogy, small size, and west-LA family market.
• Campbell Hall: Campbell Hall is a private K-12 Episcopal day school in Studio City serving the greater LA area. It is comparable in size, college-prep mission, and independent K-12 positioning to Crossroads.
• The Buckley School: Buckley is a private K-12 school in Sherman Oaks serving west-LA and valley families. It is comparable in independent K-12 positioning, college-prep curriculum, and family demographic to Crossroads.

Regional players

• Polytechnic School: Polytechnic is a private K-12 school in Pasadena serving LA-area families with a college-preparatory focus. It is comparable in independent K-12 model and academic rigor though located in a different LA submarket than Crossroads.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/crossroadsschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/crossroadsschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crossroads-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences