Founded in 1920, Branson is a rigorous co-educational independent day school located in the residential town of Ross in Marin County, 11 miles north of San Francisco.
We develop students who make a positive impact in the world by leading lives of integrity, purpose, learning,
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P.O. Box 887, Ross, California 94957-0887 • 415-454-3612
We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential components of an excellent learning environment and a vibrant, caring community. We aspire to create a community in which every member feels a deep sense of belonging and inclusion.
Branson students and faculty have worked together to identify core values we see as central to the courage, kindness, honor, purpose.
e school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Branson’s College Counseling office adheres to NACAC’s Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admissions.
As of the fall of 2024, Branson has eliminated all AP courses entirely. e academic departments have pivoted away from the AP for equally (and arguably more) rigorous study that draws on teachers’ expertise and allows us to adapt to and address student interest. All courses are taught at an accelerated level. Branson’s most rigorous courses are bolded on page 3.
Branson operates on a semester system and offers both semester and year-long courses. Official grades are reported at the end of the course.
Branson offers an eight-block rotating schedule. Students are strongly advised to pursue six academic and arts classes, one required human development class, and maintain a free block.
Branson does not award any academic honors.
Representing the broader diversity of the Bay Area, our 395 students form a culturally and socioeconomically heterogeneous community. Beginning with the Class of 2026, and for the subsequent three years, Branson has been expanding each freshman class by 25 students, bringing Branson’s total enrollment from 320 to 420 by the 2025-2026 school year.
Middle schools represented: 90
Branson students receiving financial aid: 20%
Students of color across all grade levels: 49%
Admission to Branson is highly selective.
e Branson Honor Code governs the actions of every member of our community. All community members agree to create and maintain trust, respect, and care throughout school life by accepting responsibility for themselves and others.
At the heart of Branson is the trusting, dynamic relationship between dedicated teachers and students. 88% of our 58 faculty members hold advanced degrees.
Student to faculty ratio: 7:1
Average class size: 14
e Branson transcript reports a cumulative GPA that is unweighted and calculated on a 4.0 scale. All Branson classes, including Summer Geometry, are included in the GPA. No additional credit is awarded to a grade of an A+ and GPAs only include coursework completed at Branson or through the BlendEd Consortium. Coursework completed at another institution will appear on a separate transcript. As a matter of policy, Branson does not rank students.
In 2022-2023, Branson modified the A+ policy to ensure the integrity of our transcript. e A+ grade may be given at the discretion of the teacher for outstanding work that demonstrates independent thought, critical reflection, extraordinary classroom presence, and mastery of the subject. To receive an A+, a student must demonstrate complete command of the subject and considerable originality. Such performance exceeds the highest expectations, is exceptionally well done and presented, and done without errors/mistakes. e A+ cannot be achieved with extra credit or as a result of make-up work/assessment. Most teachers will not give a single A+ in a class.
4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, 3 years of laboratory science, 3 years of foreign language, 3 years of history, 2 years of arts, and enough electives to total 54 credits. Most students take courses well beyond these requirements. Students are encouraged to take five core academic subjects and one arts course each year. Students are also required to complete a human development curriculum in grades 9 and 10, one year of college counseling class and one year of civic leadership in grades 11 and 12, with 25 hours of community engagement per year.
Branson believes in a restorative justice approach to discipline. In most cases, if a student is taken to the Community Honor Board, provided that the student engages with the restorative process in good faith and remains in good standing, neither Branson nor the student will report the incident to colleges. For cases that rise to a high level of severity, or in the case of a second return to the Community Honor Board, the student and college counseling team will report the incident to colleges that ask for the information.
JUNIOR FELLOWSHIPS: Juniors have a unique opportunity to apply for one of a handful of endowed fellowships; each provides an opportunity for a student to pursue independent scholarly work during the summer before senior year. Recipients are chosen by a faculty committee and announced before the end of the school year.
IMMERSIVES: In spring 2022, Branson introduced Immersives. Immersive classes are co-designed and co-taught by all full-time faculty and some staff members, and happen in the last two weeks of the school year. Students take one class, graded on a pass/fail basis, in a 9th-12th grade cohort exploring a specific field of study. ere are over 30 course offerings available for students to choose from across a wide range of interdisciplinary topics.
INTERNS, AMBASSADORS, AND AFFINITY LEADERS: Juniors and seniors are welcome to apply to a number of internships, ambassadorships, or to lead an affinity space. Students must complete an application and interview in order to be selected. e responsibilities will vary from position to position, but each requires project management skills, public speaking responsibilities, and an ability to work as part of a collaborative team.
BLEND-ED CONSORTIUM: In fall 2019, Branson joined five peer schools in the Bay Area BlendEd Consortium. e program seeks to bring students a new level of engaging curriculum that takes advantage of the geography, talent, and culture of the Bay Area. Courses offered through BlendEd are equivalent in rigor to Branson courses and will factor into the Branson GPA.
INDEPENDENT STUDY COURSES: Students may petition to take an independent study course in order to pursue a passion project in material that is not offered through our curricular offerings. Independent study courses are offered pass/fail and are reflected on the transcript only if the culminating project (e.g. paper/performance) is deemed worthy of faculty approval.
GLOBAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS: In Spring 2022, Branson redefined our off-campus programming to reflect a strong recommendation that every student, regardless of family resources, participate in a domestic or international field study during their four years. All programs must be mission-driven, with a direct connection to the student experience (classes, clubs, affinity spaces) and the opportunity for students to immediately apply their learning back home. Leading this change is a partnership with Students Shoulder to Shoulder, an inspiring network of field study sites, schools, and nonprofit leaders grounded in the humble mindset of learning experientially today so that we can lead ethically tomorrow.
Bolded courses indicate an increased level of rigor and pace of instruction. Prerequisites, placement exams, department approval, and/or scheduling conflicts may influence a student’s ability to take these courses. All Branson courses are taught at an accelerated level.
*Determined by placement tests prior to 9th grade. Once a student has been placed in a sequence, particularly in areas of math and science, it is very difficult and rare for a student to move or accelerate tracks in subsequent years.
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