Directory

Independent · Burlingame (Peninsula) · AKA: Lydian

Lydian Academy

“Unique and Unrivaled in One-on-One Education”

Students
~50
Ratio
1:1
Tuition
Per course

Tuition is billed monthly per course and pace; no annual sticker price.

What makes this school special

  • One-to-one classes on the student's own clock: year-round, self-paced, no set start dates, with most full-time students finishing a year's coursework in 8 to 8.5 months
  • Priced by the course rather than the year, billed monthly — the published rates work out to roughly $105 an hour or less for most students
  • A real catalog behind the model: UC A-G approved courses (the sequence California's public universities require), French, Spanish, and Korean, plus an Early College path through local community colleges
  • Courses on Demand lets a student at any school pick up a single class — an AP their school doesn't offer, or a course to repair college eligibility

Academics

Curriculum

One-to-one instruction, year-round and self-paced — most full-time students finish a year's coursework in 8 to 8.5 months; UC a-g approved

Advanced Placement

26 AP courses

See the course list

World languages

French, Spanish, Korean

Signature programs

  • One student, one teacher per class, on campus or live online
  • Courses on Demand — take a single course while enrolled at another school
  • Early College path with concurrent community-college enrollment
  • Mastery learning with no set start dates

UC admissions

In fall 2025, 5 students applied to the UC system from this school; 3 were admitted to at least one campus. UC keeps smaller counts private, so the rest of this school’s numbers aren’t published.

What these numbers can and can’t tell you

Life there

Learning support

Individualized by design — the school names athletes and performers, students with attention challenges or learning differences, gifted and twice-exceptional students, students managing health challenges, and homeschoolers; "we don't have a typical student"

Often on the same list

Fusion Academy San Francisco

Independent

Headlands Preparatory School

Independent

Tilden Preparatory School

Independent

Sources

  1. Admissions — rolling enrollment, full-time vs. Courses on Demand, the consultation process
  2. Tuition & Fees — the per-course monthly rate table, hours of direct instruction per course, the ~$105/hour and below-competitors claims, monthly billing for full-time
  3. Burlingame Campus — the address, "just 16 miles south of San Francisco," the five-minute walk to Caltrain
  4. Curriculum & Courses — the AP list and languages
  5. 2025-26 School Profile (PDF) — one-to-one model, UC/CSU a-g approval, NCAA-approved courses, Early College program, college acceptances
  6. Mission & Philosophy — founded 2006, mission
  7. CDE Private School Affidavit, 2025-26 — enrollment (72 total; 52 in grades 9-12)
  8. Lydian homepage — motto ("Unique and Unrivaled in One-on-One Education", the site-wide tagline)
  9. ACS WASC Directory of Schools — accreditation status: Accredited, grades 6-12 (checked August 2026)

Details checked August 2026