Pinewood School, founded in 1959, is an independent, coeducational, nondenominational college preparatory day school serving grades K–12. Upper Campus enrollment in Los Altos Hills (grades 7–12) is 300 students; K–6 enrollment, at two separate campuses in Los Altos, is 300 students. The student teacher ratio at Upper Campus is approximately seven to one and the maximum class size is 18 students. Upper Campus faculty includes 44 full-time and four part-time teachers, 33 of whom hold advanced degrees. Pinewood is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Los Altos Hills and Los Altos are located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Drawing from communities throughout the San Francisco Peninsula and greater San Jose, our student body is comprised of students from diverse cultural, religious, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds who seek a culture of learning and who support a high standard of behavior. Pinewood provides a nurturing environment where every student is encouraged to become a well-rounded individual, an insightful learner and critical thinker, a self-motivated student, a clear communicator and a respectful member of any community. 

Pinewood’s curriculum is college preparatory; six academic courses per semester are required of most students. For those students enrolled in three or more AP classes, the minimum requirement is five academic classes per semester. Exceptions may be made for students taking college courses in addition to their Pinewood course work, or for those students who enter after grade nine. Graduation requirements are:

* Students may test out of the last semester of writing by scoring 3 or higher on the AP English Language exam.

The school year is comprised of two semesters of approximately 18 weeks each. All classes meet every other day (four classes per day) on a rotating four-day repeating schedule.

Pinewood is committed to providing Advanced Placement and Honors level courses to all eligible students. Eligibility for enrollment in AP and Honors courses is determined by teacher recommendation and/or department consent. The maximum number of AP classes in which students may enroll is limited to five (5) for seniors, and four (4) for juniors. Regardless of grade level, Pinewood counsels students as to the appropriateness of taking advanced classes with respect to individual needs and abilities.

Honors Courses
American Literature
Precalculus
French 4
Spanish 4
United States History**
Chemistry
Biology 1 and 2***

AP Courses
English Language*
English Literature
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Statistics
French Language
Spanish Language
Studio Art: Drawing
Studio Art: 2D Design
Art History
Modern World History
United States History
United States Government
Chemistry
Physics C
Computer Science Principles

* All juniors take AP English Language.

**US History Honors is part of the two-year Pinewood Scholars Program which also includes two seminar classes and a senior capstone project.

*** Honors Biology 2: Advanced Topics is a senior year AP equivalent honors course. All students who wish to take Honors Biology 2 must complete Honors Biology 1 in junior year.

Mean Score: 3.73

49 students were recognized as AP Scholars

• 18 AP Scholars with Distinctions
• 17 AP Scholars with Honor
• 14 AP Scholars

Pinewood School does not rank students. Decile or quintile placement may be given, but it should be evaluated within the context of the class size. For the Class of 2023, each quintile is comprised of approximately ten students.

GPA is weighted and calculated for all courses taken at Pinewood (courses taken elsewhere are NOT calculated in GPA). College prep classes receive 1.5 units per semester; PE and non-college prep classes receive 0.5 units per semester. Honors and AP courses receive an additional grade point in GPA calculation. Two-hour final exams are required in every college prep class and the exam grade accounts for 20% of the semester course grade. Final Exams were not given in Spring 2020, and were again canceled for all of 2020–21.

50 Students in the Class of 2023
2 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
9 National Merit Commended Students 
10 AP Scholars with Distinction
7 AP Scholars with Honor
6 AP Scholars

Pinewood advised the Classes of 2023 and 2022 as of June of their respective junior and senior years. Since the start of the pandemic and the introduction of the test optional policy on the part of most colleges and universities, the number of Pinewood students taking the SAT and/or ACT are far smaller than pre-pandemic levels. Our ACT numbers remain too small to provide a valuable measure of assessment.

SAT: Class of 2023
(24 of 50 Juniors as of June 2022)

SAT: Class of 2022
(36 of 55 Seniors as of June 2022)

Pinewood students are required to complete 20 hours of volunteer time per year in service- oriented activities.