The Branson School

Prep school in Ross, California, US

The Branson School

Location

39 Fernhill Avenue

Ross

California

United States

Information
Type| Independent, College-prep
Motto| Be Brave
Established| 1920
CEEB code| 052695
Principal| Christina K. Mazzola
Faculty| 51
Grades| 9–12
Enrollment| 370
Average class size| 13 students
Student to teacher ratio| 7:1
Campus| Suburban, 17 acres (0.069 km2)
Color(s)| Blue and Green ( and  )
Mascot| Bulls
Information| 415-454-3612
Website| http://www.branson.org

The Branson School (also known as Branson, Branson School, or KBS) is a co-educational college-preparatory high school for students in grades 9–12. The school has 370 students, and is located in Ross, California, 11 miles (18 km) north of San Francisco.

## History

[edit]

In 1916, a group of 15 families in Marin County, California, pooled resources to start a local private school. The Little Gray School was finished in 1917. It began as a coeducational primary school, for students in grades 1–4. In 1918 it added intermediate and upper levels, both of which were limited to girls, and was renamed the San Rafael School for Girls.[1]

Portrait of school's namesake, headmistress Katharine Fleming Branson

In April 1920, the school's trustees appointed two co-headmistresses, Katharine Fleming Branson and her sister Laura Elizabeth Branson. The elder of the two sisters, Katharine Fleming Branson, was Associate Director of Studies at the Beard School in Orange, New Jersey. Laura Elizabeth Branson was a teacher of mathematics and science at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and had formerly served as head of the Department of Mathematics at Rosemary Hall in Greenwich, Connecticut. Both sisters were cum laude graduates of Bryn Mawr College.

Branson girls raking leaves in front of the Residential Hall in the 1950s

A former student has alleged that the school condoned teacher and student relationships.[2] There was also a law firm report that illustrated the permissive culture of the school. [3] The school initially seemed to take the investigation seriously.[4] The actual report that named four sex offenders sparked an investigation at University High School where the coach Randy Taylor was employed after Branson. [5]

### Coeducation

[edit]

The division of the two schools by gender started to become obsolete by the 1980s, as the two schools shared faculty, trustees, and curriculum. In July 1985, The Katharine Branson School and the Mount Tamalpais School were merged as a coeducational private day school, The Branson School. Today the school is approximately evenly composed of boys and girls.

## Campus facilities

[edit]

### Academic facilities

[edit]

* The Tallant Science Center is home to most science classes at Branson. The center is 6,000 square feet, and contains science labs, prep spaces and storage rooms.
* New Oaks contains most of the mathematics and language classes at Branson.
* Study Hall is composed of English and History classrooms, and a computer lab.

### Athletic Facilities

[edit]

* The Athletics Center at Branson contains two gyms and a workout facility.
* The Tom Ryan Field is a full-size turf field dedicated to Branson Soccer Coach Tom Ryan.
* The Gym at Branson has a new court and an old court

### Student facilities

[edit]

* The Academic Quad is an open quadrangle surrounded by most of the classrooms at the school.
* The Jewett Family Theater is a theater used for plays and other school events.
* The Student Commons is an LEED Platinum-certified common area for students.[6]
* The Rand Center is a center committed to providing a learning resource for students; the center is dedicated to Allen Rand.[7]

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* Julia Child ('30) - chef, television personality, and author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking
* Edie Sedgwick ('56) - socialite, actress, model, and 'It' girl of 1965 [8]
* Hans Baldauf ('77) - architect
* Michael Froman ('80) - President, Council on Foreign Relations, lawyer and politician, served as the U.S. Trade Representative from 2013 to 2017.
* Elisabeth Leamy ('85) - television journalist, author and speaker, investigative correspondent for The Dr. Oz Show
* Tony Hsieh ('91) - internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist, CEO of Zappos[9]
* Jennifer Siebel ('92) - documentary filmmaker and actress, director, writer and producer of the film Miss Representation and First Partner of California
* Jonny Moseley ('93) - freestyle skier and television presenter, won gold medal in moguls at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games
* Jack Conte ('02) - CEO and co-founder of Patreon, and singer and instrumentalist in Pomplamoose
* R. David Edelman ('03) - American policymaker and Special Assistant to President Barack Obama for Economic and Technology Policy
* Zio Ziegler ('06) - painter and muralist
* Javier Zamora ('08) - Salvadoran-American poet and activist and award-winning author of Solito: A Memoir[10]
* Matt Hansen ('18) - Singer-Songwriter

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Our History / Branson's History". Branson School Website. The Branson School. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
2. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: She exposed decades of alleged sexual abuse at elite Bay Area high schools. Now, she's speaking out". April 13, 2021.
3. ^ "Branson School in Ross orders sexual abuse probe". June 18, 2018.
4. ^ "URGENT TIME SENSITIVE: Letter from Branson Head of School".
5. ^ "Sexual abuse probe at private Marin school implicates 4 ex-staffers". April 9, 2019.
6. ^ "Green could lead to platinum for Branson School". www.marinij.com. March 10, 2006. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
7. ^ "The Rand Center, Committed to Accommodations * The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity". dyslexia.yale.edu. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
8. ^ Ray, Justin (July 24, 2013). "25 Things You Didn't Know About Edie Sedgwick". Complex. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
9. ^ "Zappos founder Tony Hsieh enjoys the good life". April 17, 2011.
10. ^ "Salvadoran-born poet speaks to refugee traumas". November 29, 2017.

* v
* t
* e

Marin County, California Schools

Public high schools and other notable schools

Novato USD|

* Novato High
* San Marin

San Rafael City Schools|

* San Rafael High
* Terra Linda

Shoreline USD|

* Tomales

Tamalpais Union HSD|

* Archie Williams (formerly Sir Francis Drake)
* Redwood
* Tamalpais

K-8 schools|

* Bolinas-Stinson Union SD
* Lagunitas SD
* Larkspur-Corte Madera SD
* Mill Valley SD
* Miller Creek Elementary SD (formerly Dixie SD)
* Nicasio SD
* Reed Union SD
* Ross SD
* Ross Valley SD
* Sausalito Marin City SD
* Willow Creek Academy

Secular private schools|

* The Branson School
* Lycée Français de San Francisco Sausalito Campus
* Marin Academy
* Marin Country Day School
* New Village School
* San Domenico School

Religious private schools|

* Marin Catholic High School

Authority control databases |

* ISNI

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37°57′56″N 122°33′57″W﻿ / ﻿37.96556°N 122.56583°W﻿ / 37.96556; -122.56583
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