GET TO KNOW US
Here, success means cultivating awareness, compassion, wisdom, and purpose. Where unlimited potential and inner genius are nurtured. Where young adolescents find a safe space for self-discovery and connection. Welcome to a vibrant community where middle school students shape their journey.
Letter from our Head of School
Welcome to Millennium!
There is no better place to be a middle schooler than Millennium. Every aspect of our program is thoughtfully crafted to meet the unique needs of adolescent learners so that they thrive now, and flourish in the future. Our school culture is fueled by strong relationships, grounded by mindfulness practice, and energized by innovation.
Here, every one of our students is known. Students join us from a wide range of backgrounds, and many different elementary schools and neighborhoods around the Bay Area. As soon as they join our community, students experience unconditional belonging. Every day, each of our students is welcomed, valued, supported, and encouraged to grow.
Building off of this strong foundation of belonging and community, our students are able to soar academically. Guided by expert, passionate middle school educators (appropriately called Guides), our students navigate meaningful and relevant content, master a wide array of essential academic skills, and present and showcase their learning with confidence. They continuously awe us!
Graduates of Millennium share that they were not only academically prepared for high school, but that their self-awareness, reflective thinking, confidence as public speakers, and skills as collaborators continuously serve them on their life journey.
We invite you to experience the magic of Millennium! Join us for an event, tour, or visit, to experience what’s possible for middle school learning. We can’t wait to welcome you.
Warmly,
Lizzie
THE MILLENNIUM MANIFESTO
We believe that the middle school years are the springtime of human development. We see them as the ideal moment to plant seeds of awareness and insight. We flip the lights on, brightly, in these most formative years because our world needs fully engaged human beings.
Millennium is not just a “traditional” school; we are a learning lab. Making sense of the unknown is where we discover who we are. Our duty is to ignite a passion for learning and to build a self-perpetuating drive for curiosity. Students are encouraged to embrace failure, paradox, and complexity with playfulness.
Bring your uniqueness, courage, and beauty; you have a place here.
We are building a school that we would want to go to. Teachers are Guides, gifted, and passionate about their trade. They immerse our students in the world outside of school through forums, quests, and expeditions. We are unapologetically audacious in our mission and define success as feeling fully alive and consciously engaged in the world.
Curiosity, creativity and compassion are the most complex subjects to score high on at Millennium. We teach these relentlessly. Our kids leave school inspired.
We believe that happiness and achievement are only meaningful in tango. One without the other is crippled. Peace in our hearts is our first goal. Knowing things follows naturally.
Our responsibility is to prepare students to excel in any school, know how to fall in love and love unconditionally, cry without feeling diminished, and never fear being who they are. We want them to see joy and power in being themselves.
What do we emphasize in our educational philosophy?
Four Questions That guide Early Adolescence
Middle school is an exciting time when kids start growing up and figuring out who they want to be. It’s an adventure where they leave childhood behind and step into the world of young adults. This journey is full of surprises, challenges, and different characters, much like a story with heroes, sidekicks, and even some villains. During this time, kids try out different things to discover what fits them best.
Psychologists say that during this time, students start building a set of beliefs that will shape their lives. This is called their identity. Through all the laughter, mistakes, and friendships, young teens begin to understand who they are.
We can help them on this journey by encouraging them to explore these four questions:
- Who am I?
- How do I relate to others?
- What do I believe?
- How will I contribute?
Understand how these questions shape young minds.
School History
Founded in 2015, Millennium School is an independent 6th-8th grade innovation lab and middle school in San Francisco, California. Research and development began in 2014, with founders Jeff Snipes and Chris Balme forming the initial team by hiring Stephen Lessard, Ann Wang, and Lindsay Berk. The school opened in August 2016 with 24 sixth-graders and five founding team members.
The school is part of Millennium.org, incorporated in 2016 with the mission to “design and share methods of education that advance well-being.” The organization includes the school and emerging professional development programs.
The school’s approach was inspired by the founders’ experience in adult education, adolescent apprenticeships, and Montessori middle school design. It aims to update humanistic education models by incorporating recent developmental neuroscience research, creating immersive experiences that enhance academics, inner wisdom, and modern “real-world” skills. Many learning designs at Millennium School still reflect central ideas from Montessori adolescent programs.
millennium Quick Facts
GRADES
- 6th-8th all-gender middle school
ENROLLMENT
- 100 students
HISTORY
- Research initiated in Spring 2014
- Founding 6th grade class enrolled in Fall 2016
- School reached full capacity (6-8th grade) in Fall 2018
- Head of School: Roberto d’Erizans
DIVERSITY
- 48% students of color
- 4% LGBTQ families
- 8 non-English languages spoken at home
- 25 zip codes represented
- Gender: 4% of our students identify as non-binary / gender non-conforming, 51% as boys, 45% as girls
FINANCIAL AID
- 34% of student body on Flexible Tuition
FACULTY
- 22 Full & Part-Time Faculty
- 14 Graduate Degrees
- 38% Multilingual
- 41% People of Color
- Average Class Size: 15
ORGANIZATION
- 501(c)3 non-profit, independent school
- Member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
- Member of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
ACCREDITATION
- California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)