Directory

Independent · Albany (East Bay)

Tilden Prep

Students
~110
Ratio
1:1
Tuition
Custom

Tuition is set per student's program in consultation with the school; no published sticker price.

What makes this school special

  • One-to-one on a mastery model since 2006: students hit 80% or better on every unit, or the teacher reteaches and retests until they do
  • A catalog that outsizes the school: 156 UC-approved courses and seven languages, all schedulable morning to weekend, in person or remote
  • Serves students whose schedules or learning profiles don't fit a standard school day: ADHD and learning differences, gifted and twice-exceptional students, athletes and performers, and students re-entering after health challenges
  • Also an approved Nonpublic School, so districts can place students whose IEPs call for the individualized setting

Academics

Curriculum

One-to-one and small-group tutorial teaching on a mastery model (80% or better, reteach and retest)

Advanced coursework

34 AP courses · 21 UC-approved honors courses

See the list filed with UC

World languages

American Sign Language, French, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Spanish, German

Schedule

Fully individualized — mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends

Signature programs

  • One-to-one classes scheduled around the student, in person, remote, or hybrid
  • Part-time enrollment alongside the student's own school, for credit
  • Approved Nonpublic School (NPS) for district placements
  • One-on-one mentoring program and a 15-hour annual community service requirement

UC admissions · For fall 2025 entry

applied
13
admitted to at least one campus
12
enrolled at a UC
5
What these numbers can and can’t tell you

Athletics, arts & activities

Arts

Drawing & PaintingPhotographyFilm & Video Production

Life there

Learning support

The one-to-one tutorial model is the support — the school names bright students with ADHD and learning differences, gifted and twice-exceptional students, students rebuilding after learning loss or health challenges, and athletes and performers on demanding schedules

Often on the same list

Headlands Preparatory School

Independent

Fusion Academy San Francisco

Independent

Bayhill High School

Independent

Sources

  1. About Us — grades 6-12, the tutorial model, full-time and part-time programs, WASC accreditation
  2. FAQs — mastery learning defined, enroll-any-time, El Cerrito Plaza BART half a mile, the part-time students' schools list including The Bay School of San Francisco, a-g/UC approval
  3. Registration — tuition by consultation with the Head of School; no published figures
  4. Courses — the catalog, languages, AP Studio Art
  5. Why Students Choose Tilden — who the school serves; 33 AP courses
  6. Admissions — the NPS track and placement process
  7. CDE Private School Affidavit, 2025-26 — enrollment (136 total; 114 in grades 9-12)
  8. UC A-G course list — Tilden Preparatory School — the 2026-27 course list the school files with the University of California: 34 AP courses and 21 UC-approved honors courses beyond AP. The school's own course page counts 31 APs; we carry the filed number. The same filing names the languages the school teaches: American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Spanish. UC's list doesn't distinguish Mandarin from Cantonese; we carry the school's own name for the course

Details checked August 2026