Squaw Valley Academy

LOVED SVA for the following reasons: — teaching is good, I went on to graduate at a good college, gpa 3.4. — my biology teacher taught me how to ski the black diamonds. — my AP history teacher traveled abroad with us (best time of my life). — primary sports include skiing/​snowboarding and soccer — what you could expect from a school with less than 100 students in the Tahoe area. Venues for these sports are fine (world class for skiing/​snowboarding). My ski teachers were professionally certified. My soccer coach took us to the finals. Food was not bad –it’s cafeteria food (duuuhhhh!) — students include world-​class snowboarder and skiers, and a mix of students who left other schools for ‘something different’ and some international students who I really enjoyed getting to know. All and all, I loved the experience.

My son is currently in his second year at Squaw Valley Academy and is a senior. Prior to coming to SVA he attended a large public school in California, putting in very little effort and earning decent grades. He says now that he didn’t really know how to study. Small classes, individualized attention, clear expectations, and most importantly, mandatory 2-​hour study hall resulted in a near perfect GPA after only his first semester at SVA.
He’s more mature, has gained confidence, and in general seems much happier with his newfound success. Thankfully, he is much more interested in actively defining his future. With the help of his teachers and SVA staff, he applied to several colleges and is very excited about his upcoming Freshman year.
We are very proud of our son and are looking forward to seeing his bright future unfold with its many choices. He would certainly not be in this position had he not left the public school in which he was merely average, and attended SVA where he learned to EXCEL! He has learned lessons about himself in the last two years that will stay with him forever.
Finally, after taking one semester of SAT prep at SVA, my son’s SAT score improved by nearly 200 points (and it was pretty good to start)! That’s real and measurable success!

I was a bit skeptical of SVA at first. Having been a long time resident in the Truckee-​Tahoe area, for decades I’d heard and read many a mixed report. My wife and I are involved in the local public school district and know many of the teachers in the area. Several of these teachers have at one time or another been employed at SVA.
So when it was suggested that our son attend SVA I was a bit skeptical.
The school now has a new staff headed by longtime and experienced administrators. They have really turned SVA around. Academically it is very good. There is a great deal of individualized attention and supervision. All the teachers and staff seem to be of the highest order.
After some resistance and a tough few first weeks, our son is thriving both in his classes and with his peers.
There are a few downsides which have kept me from offering five stars. The student body is exceedingly small. Around 80 I believe. Many of the students have English as a second language. There is a high turn over of foreign students. So the ability to make and maintain good friends is somewhat limited. Also, other than snow sports, there seems to be a lack of weekend activities.
The up side is that if your son or daughter loves snow sports, there is hardly a better place to be. World class –1960 Olympics — Squaw Valley is just down the road.
Then there is Lake Tahoe, only about fifteen minutes drive away. Plus countless mountains and wilderness in every direction.
Sports aside, SVA has a 100% college placement for it’s students. Alumni have attended some of the top colleges in the country.
Yes, I would recommend SVA.

My son attended a summer session at Squaw Valley Academy primarily for the great location and fun summer activities and had such a positive experience that he asked to go there full time as a boarding student. Prior to attending SVA my son attended a great high school in Marin County and was excelling in all areas and has a very strong network of friends.
SVA has provided an environment where my son has become more confident, better disciplined, happier, and more mature. SVA provides an outstanding physical environment but also teachers and other faculty members who are engaged in his development and have set standards for his behavior that facilitate growth.
School Leadership: Excellent communication with parents and teachers.
Teaching Staff: SVA provides great combination short and long tenure teachers with common element of energy, competency, and high levels of personal interaction with students.
Curriculum: Emphasis placed on fundamentals that are the building blocks to continuous learning beyond college. Surprisingly diverse elective subjects as well.
School Facilities: The SVA Dorms are excellent as they provide a safe and secure residence in a beautiful and secure location. The dorms and classrooms are thoughtfully arranged to promote a high degree of community amongst the students and staff. Nutrition is a high priority demonstrated by the amazing school cafeteria that provides high quality nutritional meals. The location in Squaw Valley is perfect.

I came across SVA (Squaw Valley Acady) while researching for a boarding High School for my nephew in China. I also spent a day there.
Students use lap tops during class with wifi access. A lot of emphases is placed on learning with a laptop.. (All wifi are turned off at 11pm at night.). Considering all standardize tests in the US are computerized (MCAT, LSAT) and most work environments in the US use electronic records exclusively, lap top in classroom is a good idea.
Students come from all over the world with the goal of attending a college in the US. SVA has transformed itself in the past few years to focus on college prep for international students.
Class sizes are small, usually less than 10 students per teacher. I noticed the students get alone with each other rather well. This is observed during lunch time. I see students from different countries sit next to each other.
Dorm rooms are 1 – 4 students per room. Most of the ones I saw have 3 students in them. There is a microwave on each hall, fridge and safe in each room. Overall the rooms are larger than the one I used to live at UC Berkeley 20 years ago. (unit 1 Cheney) and much larger then the tiny rooms at Univ of Tennessee. Washers and dryers are free for students to use. At night, dorm exits have security alarms, hallways are video monitored
SVA pride itself at offering a balance between academic and personal development. They encourage students to take advantage of it’s location to learn many physical activities Tahoe has to offer — hiking, soccer, golfing, cycling, ski /​snowboard. I think this makes SVA different from other college prep school.
I have the opportunity to spoke to students there.
Due to the many Saturday field trips student take, expect another $ 4000 or so in additional expenses. While the students like them, parents may be surprised at the bill.

I’m really torn as to how to rate SVA. A part of me hates it, a part of me loves it– but during the time that I went to school here my life was so out of whack, I don’t know how accurately I can give a fair and level-​headed review of my high school experience here.
I went to SVA from 2001 – 2002 because of rebellious behavior as a teen, so my dad sent me off to this private boarding academy to «straighten up». As much as I hated it at first– I have fond memories of SVA, and looking back I now realize how truly privileged and lucky I was to attend this school nestled deep in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I mean, our physical education requirement was fulfilled by snowboarding half the day, 3 days a week. Thats right– every Mon, Wed and Fri the school day ended at 12, and off to Squaw mountain to play until 5. Pretty f’ing rad, I must say.
The issues I have with Squaw have to do with the upper management and how the school was run throughout my attendance there. Most of the students at SVA (including me) were there because of behavioral issues, and because no other private academy would accept them, however there were a few students aspiring to go pro in skiing or snowboarding. SVA was going through a transitional period, with a new dean of students and many other new staff members. The way the school was being run was all over the board, kids were getting expelled left and right, and rules that were supposed to be implemented were not, such as random drug testing. I quit smoking weed for my whole sophomore year, only to NEVER be tested once! Also, I disagree with how many students were expelled from this school– for the most mundane and ridiculous reasons such as plagiarism and sneaking off campus to go to 7 – 11 at night. SVA knowingly accepted these students who had issues, but used them as grounds for expulsion the second they screwed up. Also, families who’s kids were expelled at the very beginning of the school year didnt recieve any refund. Keep in mind, tuition here ‘aint cheap– 30 grand, people.
But the real reason I’m a bit bitter about SVA is due to my experience the second year I was there, my Junior year. It was totally different from the previous year– with an entirely new staff and new rules. I ended up getting expelled for failing a drug test (that they finally decided to impliment), on a false positive. Thats right, I didn’t even smoke weed (or do any other drugs), but somehow the test came up positive. I’m convinced that SVA is just a scam to get people to pay 30K– just to lose it when their children get expelled for absurd and obscure reasons.
All in all, I do not regret my experience there — I learned how to snowboard and developed a love for the mountains. I met a lot of people and learned a great deal through my experiences at SVA. I just don’t agree with their shady ways of doing business. I will cut them some slack for going through a transitional period– but I’ve heard similar horror stories as mine from students who were there before AND after I was. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that SVA goes out of business or gets shut down for some reason — theres definitely something fishy going on there.