Branson
“Be Brave.”
Ross (Marin)Independent
The Branson School
“Be Brave.”
AKA: BransonRoss (Marin)Independent
- Students
- ~420
- Ratio
- 8:1
- Tuition
- $68k
Base tuition as published for 2026–27.
Admissions
- Applications open
- Late August
- Application due
- Beginning of January
- Decisions released
- Mid-to-late March
- Enrollment
- ~420
- Student:teacher
- 8:1
- Base tuition
- $68,475
- 2026–27 school year
- Real cost
- $70k–$74k
- Flexible tuition
- ~19%
What makes this school special
- A 17-acre Marin campus in Ross, drawing families across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco — Branson runs its own buses from the city and the East Bay
- No APs: the college-prep program is built around honors and advanced courses and student agency, not exam prep
- Signature Immersives and a deep Outdoor Education program take learning off campus; the BlendEd consortium opens online courses beyond Branson's own catalog
- A genuine sports school for its size — 23 teams and roughly 81% of students play, competing in the Marin County Athletic League
- Alumni range from Julia Child to Olympic skier Jonny Moseley and Patreon's Jack Conte
Academics
Curriculum
No APs — honors and advanced courses with a student-agency curriculum
World languages
Spanish, Mandarin
Signature programs
- Immersives
- Outdoor Education
- BlendEd Consortium (online courses)
- College and Community courses
College matriculation
Brown, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, MIT, Pomona, Princeton, USC, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt, Yale
See the full listAthletics, arts & activities
Athletics · Marin County Athletic League (MCAL)
BaseballBasketballCross CountryGolfLacrosseSoccerSwimmingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyball
Arts
Visual ArtsMusicTheaterTechnical TheaterDance
Clubs & activities · 60+
AcafellasAmerican Sign LanguageAstronomyBest BuddiesCivil Discourse at BransonEnvironmental ActionQueer-Straight AllianceWomen in STEMChessDebateModel UNMock TrialMath TeamOutdoor ClubPhilosophySailing
See all clubsLife there
Food
Lunch included in tuition (scratch-cooked buffet and boxed lunches)
Learning support
Academic Support services and a Human Development program
Notable alumni
- Julia Child (chef and author)
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom (filmmaker; California First Partner)
- Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO)
- Jonny Moseley (Olympic gold-medalist skier)
- Jack Conte (Patreon co-founder)
Often on the same list
Sources
- The Branson School — About — enrollment, mission, campus, grades
- Affording Branson — tuition, total cost (lunch included), financial aid
- Academics — class size, 8:1 ratio, signature programs, no-AP model
- Apply and Admissions FAQ — deadline, test-free policy
- Athletics — teams, participation, MCAL
- NCES Private School Universe Survey — enrollment and faculty (cross-check)
- The Branson School | Wikipedia — founding, notable alumni
- Julia Child | National Women's History Museum — attended the Katharine Branson School (Branson's predecessor)
- The Branson School homepage — motto ("Be Brave.," the school's standalone tagline, "Branson. Be Brave.")
Last reviewed July 2026