To nurture big thinkers and joyful citizens start
with
Independent K-6 education in Santa Monica
school.
Fostering informed, imaginative, effective young people—ONE at a time Our name, PS1 Pluralistic School, echoes the United States’ motto, E pluribus unum: Out of many, one. The words convey the complex, ongoing, optimistic work of creating and sustaining a truly democratic society.
That’s the founding and enduring purpose of PS1—and what makes us unique. We believe that empathetic, innovative, collaborative thinkers can and must build a better world for all. And the best time to cultivate this vital mindset is in children’s earliest years. From the first day of kindergarten through 6th grade, we help students understand themselves as individuals and as members of larger communities. We’ve designed our curriculum, schedule, and even our physical campus to inspire both productive cooperation and individual reflection. As students gradually expand their comfort zones—from small-group projects to their classroom, school, neighborhood, and eventually the wider world—each learns how and why to make positive change at every level.
Here’s how we turn our vision into your child’s education.
Starting with your child
Each child is one of a kind. So is each PS1 journey.
“When we came for our family tour, PS1 asked
From our very first meeting, we focus on your child as
and cared about our child.
an individual human being and learner. And every day,
It wasn’t about us as parents, our backgrounds,
observing, asking and adjusting—teaching each student
or our philosophies. Instead it was, ‘Who is
in the ways they learn best.
in and beyond every classroom, we’re listening and
your daughter? What does she enjoy? How does she play? How does she deal with stress? How does she show excitement?’ I thought that was really unique.”
We also know children develop in different ways, at different rates, and at different times. That’s why we help your child set and meet individually calibrated milestones, ensuring all children emerge prepared for what’s next.
- PS1 parent Through insightful affirmations by teachers and classmates, frequent check-ins both planned and spontaneous, extensive narrative progress reports, and especially our close partnership with parents, we build a profound, shared understanding of each student’s interests, talents, hopes, and concerns. Together, we give your child a most promising start to a deeply engaged life. PS1’s exceptionally attentive education takes time, expertise, compassion, and commitment. But our children—and the world they will help create—deserve nothing less.
Creating and modeling pluralistic learning communities Step into any PS1 classroom and you immediately notice: something’s different here. Our expansive, sunlit, child-centric spaces practically vibrate with energy, as students of various ages challenge and support each other, and caring, expert teachers spur them on to ever-greater achievements. How do we make it happen? Instead of dividing students by grade level, PS1 creates multi-age groupings called Clusters. This structure allows students to learn from children older and younger than they are, gradually expanding their intellectual and personal range. Our individual placement process ensures each student is where they need to be at their particular developmental stage. And pluralism in our classrooms goes even further. Every class, at every level, is team-taught by two full-time teachers, producing an unusually dynamic educational environment. Modeling respectful and effective collaboration, our teachers bring out the best in each other and their students as they all construct learning together. When children grow up in these small-scale pluralistic communities, learning and working with diverse groups becomes second nature—and they go forth to share these values and methods with the wider world.
PS1 Clusters
Youngers Cluster
Bridge Cluster
K|1
1|2
2|3
Kindergarten and Grade 1
Grades 1 and 2
Grades 2 and 3
Middles Cluster
Olders Cluster
“It’s really important in our philosophy to have older kids and younger kids in the same class. It encourages peer-to-peer learning,
3|4
5|6
and allows kids to be both mentors and mentees at different times. This builds a different kind of community as everyone is learning from each other.�
Grades 3 and 4
Grades 5 and 6
- PS1 administrator
Discovering connections, pursuing challenges “PS1 teachers work together to show our students that all subjects are connected. We show them how art is connected to math, for example, through art projects using geometric shapes, like the Cubists did. These connections make their education more meaningful.” - PS1 faculty member
PS1’s pluralistic philosophy seeks to connect people of all ages and walks of life. That also means connecting facts, concepts, and ideas—continually exploring ramifications and imagining alternatives. Our hands-on, interdisciplinary curriculum inspires students to discover interconnections among their school subjects, deepening expertise and curiosity at the same time. Guided and informed by our endlessly innovative faculty, our students create science fiction stories based on chemical interactions. They investigate their own family backgrounds in the context of Los Angeles’ vibrant diversity. They plan and carry out election campaigns, write and perform original musicals, and think and do more than they might have believed possible—every day.
In addition to weaving art, music, technology, library skills, and physical education into daily coursework, our program ensures students learn with expert specialists in those subjects throughout the week.
Our multifaceted approach is especially evident in The Studio, PS1’s exciting maker space. Working together and individually, with digital and analog technologies, students of all ages transform speculation into experiment, and learn in real time how their own ideas can literally change the world around them.
Some recent projects in The Studio: Planning and making bug catchers creatively using found materials to view living insects up close (Youngers Cluster) Inventing and constructing oceanic creatures using LEGO WeDo to investigate evolution and adaptation (Bridge Cluster) Developing and building a working floodgate to find out how precipitation affects a river’s water levels (Middles Cluster) Designing and fabricating an arm that works like a human’s to understand engineering and physiology (Olders Cluster)
Going forth to thrive and contribute— in middle school and well beyond
schools will tell you that a PS1 child
At PS1, pluralism is our goal and our method. Here in our small, colorful corner of Santa Monica, we strive to build the kind of world we want our children to grow up in—so they can help create a more compassionate, thoughtful, and accepting world for everyone.
intentional environment, they graduate well equipped to take on the challenges of 7th grade. Knowing how and why they love to learn, PS1 students consistently enroll in Los Angeles’ finest middle
confident in themselves, they’re kind, they communicate well with both a genuine love of learning and curiosity that will fuel them for the rest of their lives.” - PS1 parent
schools, independent, public, and charter, from traditional to progressive and everywhere in between. And they go on to excel in high school, college, career, and life.
To nurture big thinkers and joyful citizens start
with
Might that one child be yours?
is lit up about learning. They’re
adults and their peers, and they have
Because our students begin their learning lives in this exceptionally
One school. One classroom. One project. One child.
“Admissions directors from middle
We warmly invite you to visit us and observe pluralism in action. To find upcoming tour dates and make reservations, visit psone.org/admissions/inquiries-tours. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at 310-394-1313 ext. 107 or at admissions@psone.org.
1225 Broadway Santa Monica, CA 90404
psone.org “I could not be happier with the human beings who have emerged from this school.”
Independent K-6 education in Santa Monica
–PS1 parent