With the 2024-2025 school year in full swing, Noozhawk’s Private & Independent School Guide is here to make planning your child’s education easier. This all-inclusive guide provides essential details on school options throughout Santa Barbara County.
To assist parents in making well-informed decisions, Noozhawk has gathered exclusive interviews with representatives from local private and independent schools, ensuring the guide is filled with valuable insights and the latest information.
In this interview, Noozhawk spoke with Kellie Landrum, Marketing & Communications Director at Providence School to learn more about what their school has to offer.
Providence School
Question: What is the educational philosophy of your school?
Answer: We see each student as a unique child of God who has been given gifts with which they can serve each other and the world around them. From preschool through grade 12, the Providence education supports these students as they discover and develop these gifts through intellectual preparation, spiritual formation, and strategic influence.
Q: Can you describe the unique aspects of your curriculum?
A: We strategically choose curriculum to ensure the students are learning at and above-state standards. We also have the freedom to integrate each subject – taking our novels and studying their contexts in history, expanding our studies to science, art, and every concentration for truly interactive “Big-Picture” approach.
In the middle and high school levels, our teachers partner with one another to encourage cross-curricular learning as well, reinforcing learning and encouraging students to interact with their lessons from every angle. Our high school curriculum in particular is chosen to build and mature students’ skills as they prepare to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Q: What is the average class size, and how does it impact the learning experience?
A: Providence intentionally maintains small class sizes – averaging 16-21 students per classroom with a lead and assistant teacher in each elementary classroom. Our small class sizes enable our teachers to provide individualized attention, ensuring that every student is personally guided through their challenges and celebrated in their strengths.
Class counts – Preschool: 16–18; Lower School: 16-18; Middle School: 12-15; Upper School: 12-15.
Q: What are the qualifications and experience levels of your teaching staff?
A: The core of Providence School is a talented faculty and staff, mature in Christian faith, excellent in their disciplines, skilled in the art of teaching, passionate about helping students succeed, and committed to the school’s mission.
Families who choose Providence are choosing teachers who will know and love their children, who inspire a joy in learning, and who encourage and challenge students to pursue excellence in all that they undertake.
Degrees Held:
Preschool Teachers | All have completed required Early Childhood Education coursework. 3 hold Masters Degrees, 2 hold California Teaching credentials, 6 BA.
Lower School Teachers | 100% required to California Teaching Credential
K-12 Faculty members who hold master’s degrees | 45% of teaching staff
Q: What is your admissions process, and what qualities do you look for in prospective students?
A: Many families find us through referrals from other happy Providence families. Prospective students and their parents or guardians reach out to our admissions team, when we schedule a tour and a consultation to talk over your goals for your student, what you’re looking for in an educational environment, and what to look forward to when considering a Providence education.
The Preschool application process includes an application form; Children are required to be potty-trained and meet California immunization requirements.
The K–12 application process actively seeks to learn more about each student’s academic background, their strengths and areas of challenge, and their unique contributions to our community. The process includes an online application, teacher evaluations & student records, an academic assessment, and a visit day.
Our families acknowledge and value our Christ-centered lens on education and community, and our teachers are committed and practicing in their Christian faith. However, we do not require families or students to have a faith practice or church attendance.
Q: Can you explain the tuition and fees structure? Are there any scholarships or financial aid options available?
A: Providence School offers an education accessible to a broad range of families through affordable tuition and a financial assistance program. We endeavor as a community to make this education accessible for those families who do not have the ability to pay full tuition.
A family’s need for assistance is defined as the difference between what it costs to attend Providence and a family’s ability to pay, as determined by the second-party FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment program. We make every attempt to meet identified needs, while also trusting our families to do their very best to contribute what they can to provide their children with the gift of distinctly Christian education.
Many factors determine whether or not a family will qualify for need-based tuition assistance. Household income and expenses, assets and debt, the number of children enrolled in a tuition-funded school, and commitment to and fit with the school’s mission and vision are examples of factors used by the Tuition Assistance Committee to determine eligibility and awards.
Q: How does your school support students with special learning needs or exceptional talents?
A: For every division, Providence staffs specifically trained learning specialists who are able to come alongside students with special learning needs, or students who are simply struggling in an area, and work one-on-one with them to encourage, guide, teach, and enable them to excel.
Q: What extracurricular activities, sports, and clubs are available to students?
A: From preschool through grade 12, students are offered many opportunities to pursue their unique talents and passions. Preschool students enjoy music and art lessons under the guidance of our specialists, and often take learning into the preschool garden where they practice caring for God’s creation.
Elementary students enroll in after school classes that range from our cheer squad to chess club, from cooking class to golf. 4th-6th grade students are able to join our variety of sports teams, competing against other local private schools!
Teams vary each year but usually include co-ed flag football, boys and girls basketball and volleyball, and more. 6th grade students are able to compete at the middle school level with our middle school volleyball, soccer, basketball, cross-country, and track teams.
High school sports benefit from a vibrant, supportive school community that loves to come out and support the teams. Each year we offer many sports, including basketball, tennis, volleyball, cross country and track, golf, and more.
Outside of athletics, Providence students participate in our specialty academies – The Studio (Fine arts and digital design), the Engineering Academy, Performing Arts, and our Social Entrepreneurship Academy.
Q: How does your school incorporate technology into the learning environment?
A: We like to think of technology as being like a window. You want to look through the window to see the beauty beyond. If you can see the window, or if you’re thinking about the window, then the window is getting in the way.
A few years ago, we realized that our existing 1:1 iPad program was actually becoming more of a detriment to the educational process than a help for most teachers most of the time. Many families simply did not want their students to be required to own a “giant phone” as part of attending school.
We agreed and made a switch from family-owned iPads that are carried all day to school-owned Chromebooks that are kept in classrooms and only brought out and returned as needed. Families are free to implement their own technology solutions at home as they see fit.
We have found that Chromebooks are a great fit for our learning environment, where we want students to learn good technology habits. Technology should serve the goals of the school–educational, social, spiritual–and never be the focus of or a distraction from it. The Google suite on a Chromebook lets students collaborate and create meaningful content with a low-cost, productive device.
Q: What steps does your school take to foster a sense of community among students and families?
A: Providence is one school on two campuses; from Preschool through grade 12 we intentionally craft and encourage community interaction to help every family feel plugged in. This is more than a school: this is a place where students are known and families belong. We aim to be a home away from home for our students, where they can seek advice and counsel from trusted mentors.
We actively partner with parents – even at the high school level! – so that the bridge from school to home is healthy and supportive. We hold regular all-school events where families can share a meal and fellowship with one another. Lower School students regularly attend and cheer on their high school athletes. Parents pray together over both campuses every week; we hold regular off-campus prayer meetings as well to continually intercede for our students and our faculty.
To learn more about Providence School click here.