Private school · nonsectarian · Ojai, California
Besant Hill School of Happy Valley
9–12 · 73 students, not counting pre-K · 6 per teacher (2021–22) · 8 AP courses on the College Board’s 2025–26 course audit
California private schools don’t take the state tests, so there are no results we can fairly compare. We don’t score or rank private schools.
Common questions
How long is the school day?
8 hours in the 2021–22 federal survey. Ask for current hours and care. Evidence ↓
How do I apply?
Call (805) 223-5698 and ask which grades have openings, how to apply and by when. Evidence ↓
What AP courses does it offer?
The AP Course Audit authorizes the school’s own teachers to teach 8 of the 40 courses in the College Board's 2025–26 AP program. It doesn’t show whether a section ran or how students did. Evidence ↓
More questions (3)
How big is it?
73 students, not counting pre-K, in the federal private-school survey (NCES Private School Universe Survey), 2021–22. About 6 students per teacher across the school. Evidence ↓
What does a year cost?
Ask the school for the total yearly cost, including fees, and how financial aid works.
Does Besant Hill School of Happy Valley have state test results?
No. Private schools in California don’t take the state tests (CAASPP), so there is no state testing data for Besant Hill School of Happy Valley to score. Evidence ↓
Life at school
What would my child’s day be like?
The school reported a 8-hour day in 2021–22.
NCES private-school survey, 2021–22
Ask: What does a typical day look like in my child’s grade, and when does it start and end?
Students
Who goes to Besant Hill School of Happy Valley?
In 2021–22, the federal survey counted 73 students, 6 per teacher.
NCES private-school survey, 2021–22
These figures leave out pre-K and cover the whole school, not one class.
- White 67%
- Asian 21%
- Hispanic or Latino 4%
- Black or African American 4%
- American Indian, Pacific Islander or two or more races, together 4%
38 boys and 35 girls in K–12 and ungraded classes, 2021–22.
Ask: How many children are in my child’s class, and how many adults?
Public options
What are the free public options nearby?
One district or charter elementary school sits within 2 miles.
Public schools · straight-line distance from this school’s address
Elementary
- Summit1.8 mi
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
District schools are assigned by your home address. Charters run their own admissions.
Next steps
How do I visit Besant Hill School of Happy Valley, and what should I ask?
Questions for your visit
- Which tests do students take, and how do they do? Ask for the school’s overall results.
- How do you teach students at different levels? Ask how they stretch fast learners and help those who need more.
More questions to ask (10) and the map
- How many students leave each year, and why? If many families leave, ask what they told the school.
- Where do students go after they finish here? Ask for the list of colleges and other paths recent graduates went on to.
- What is the full cost, and what financial aid is there? Ask about every fee on top of tuition, and how aid is decided.
- Who accredits the school? Accreditation means an outside group reviewed the school. Ask which group, and when it last visited.
- What does a typical day look like in my child’s grade, and when does it start and end?
- How many children are in my child’s class, and how many adults?
- How would teaching, student support and school expectations work for my child?
- Which grades have openings, and what are the application steps and dates?
- Which courses and career pathways does the school run, and who can enroll?
- How do counselors help students plan for college, training or work?
Location and visiting
Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Directory location · Explore nearby schools on the map. Confirm visit arrangements with the school.
Source records
The records behind this pageNCES survey · AP Course Audit · UC admissions · ZIP-area census
The federal survey counts American Indian, Pacific Islander and multiracial students separately; the copy we hold adds them into one share.
| Grades | 9–12 |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 73 K–12 and ungraded students |
| Student : teacher | 6:1 |
| Source: NCES Private School Universe Survey, 2021–22. | |
| Teachers | 13.0 estimated K–12 full-time-equivalent teachers |
| Students | Coeducational |
| School day | 8 hours |
| Affiliation | Nonsectarian |
| School type | School with a special program emphasis and no religious affiliation (NCES term: “Nonsectarian (Special Emphasis)”) |
| AP courses authorized | 8 of the 40 courses in the College Board's 2025–26 AP program |
|---|
The 8 authorized AP courses, by discipline
2025–26 audit year · authorization does not confirm a section ran or students enrolled.
AP Course Ledger 2025–26 audit year (authorization, not enrollment)
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,927 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) | 42% |
| ZIP-area population | 21,036 |
| Median age | 51.9 years |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Median household income covers the past 12 months and is reported in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Bachelor's degree or higher uses adults age 25 and over as its population. A dash is unavailable, not zero; a reported zero remains zero. ZIP-area figures do not establish the school's attendance area or describe its enrolled students. See all schools in ZIP code 93023 →
The ZIP area comes from the school’s directory address; it does not verify where the campus is.
| Year | Applied | Admitted | Enrolled | Mean GPA (applied) | Mean GPA (admitted) | Mean GPA (enrolled) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | 8 | masked | 3.96 | 3.97 | — |
| 2024 | 7 | 6 | masked | 3.73 | 3.73 | — |
| 2021 | 9 | 6 | masked | 3.64 | 3.63 | — |
| 2020 | 9 | 7 | masked | 3.81 | 3.86 | — |
| 2019 | 6 | 4 | masked | 3.96 | — | — |
| 2018 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 3.74 | 4.00 | — |
| 2017 | 7 | 3 | masked | 3.79 | — | — |
| 2016 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 3.70 | 3.81 | — |
Source: UC admissions by source school. These are dated fall first-year UC groups. Applied identifies students who formally applied; Admitted, those offered admission; Enrolled, those who enrolled at UC. GPA columns show each group's mean weighted, capped high-school GPA for 10th/11th-grade college-preparatory courses. UC adds extra weighting for up to eight semesters, with no more than four in 10th grade. These records do not describe current school enrollment or measure teaching quality. Complete, matching applicant and admit counts can support a historical descriptive admit rate, but do not establish a school's effect or predict individual chances. Missing or masked counts: never assume zero or a positive hidden value. “Masked” marks a count UC left blank (UC blanks counts under 5 applicants or under 3 admits or enrollees); — means unavailable, and a reported zero remains zero. A + marks a partial SchoolScope sum of available counts across linked codes, not a complete total; the missing contribution may be zero. SchoolScope leaves GPA unavailable when multiple CEEB codes contribute rather than combining their means. The table holds every fall on file from 2016 to 2025.
| Campus | Year | Applied | Admitted | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 2025 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Berkeley | 2024 | 5 | masked | masked |
| Berkeley | 2021 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Berkeley | 2020 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Davis | 2025 | 7 | 5 | masked |
| Davis | 2024 | 5 | masked | masked |
| Davis | 2021 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Davis | 2020 | 7 | 3 | masked |
| Irvine | 2020 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Irvine | 2019 | 5 | masked | masked |
| Los Angeles | 2025 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Los Angeles | 2024 | 5 | masked | masked |
| Los Angeles | 2021 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Los Angeles | 2020 | 5 | masked | masked |
| Los Angeles | 2019 | 6 | masked | masked |
| San Diego | 2025 | 6 | masked | masked |
| San Diego | 2020 | 5 | masked | masked |
| San Diego | 2019 | 6 | masked | masked |
| Santa Barbara | 2025 | 7 | masked | masked |
| Santa Barbara | 2024 | 5 | masked | masked |
| Santa Barbara | 2021 | 8 | masked | masked |
| Santa Barbara | 2020 | 5 | masked | masked |
| Santa Barbara | 2019 | 6 | 3 | masked |
| Santa Cruz | 2025 | 7 | 6 | masked |
| Santa Cruz | 2024 | 7 | 4 | masked |
| Santa Cruz | 2021 | 5 | 3 | masked |
| Universitywide | 2025 | 9 | 8 | masked |
| Universitywide | 2024 | 7 | 6 | masked |
| Universitywide | 2021 | 9 | 6 | masked |
| Universitywide | 2020 | 9 | 7 | masked |
| Universitywide | 2019 | 6 | 4 | masked |
Source: UC admissions by source school. These are dated fall first-year UC applicant, admitted and enrolled groups, not current school attendance. Universitywide is separately reported, with unduplicated applicant and admit counts. Students can apply to several campuses, so campus sums are not interchangeable with Universitywide counts even when they happen to equal them. Counts are summed across linked CEEB codes within each campus and year. A + marks a partial SchoolScope sum of available counts, not a complete total; missing contributions may be zero. “Masked” marks a count UC left blank (UC blanks counts under 5 applicants or under 3 admits or enrollees); — means unavailable. For missing or masked counts, never assume zero or a positive hidden value. A reported zero remains zero. Complete, matching counts can support historical descriptive admit rates; they do not establish a school's effect or predict individual chances.
Source: NCES Private School Universe Survey (2021–22) · No. A2100280
Data sources: NCES Private School Universe Survey · College Board AP Course Audit · University of California admissions by source school · U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey
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