Company Profile
The Buckley School
Company Overview
Buckley, with a student body of 830, is known for its unique educational philosophy, the 4-Fold Plan of Education, which melds a whole-child approach with elements of structure, as well as for its warm, intimate educational environment.
The school’s curriculum balances academics, the arts, physical development and moral education. Its creative, personalized approach to education emphasizes high academic standards for all students, and includes traditional touches that develop the character and discipline that unlock students’ potential.
Company History
The Buckley School, established in 1933, began as a small nursery school for nine children, first located in the home of founder Isabelle Palms Buckley in Beverly Hills. Within a few months Dr. Buckley became aware of the impracticality of maintaining a combined home and school. She purchased Mary Pickford’s house on Doheny Drive, which became the site of the first campus. In 1936, Mrs. Robert Young, who was searching for a school suitable for her own children, approached Dr. Buckley. Mrs. Young was impressed with Dr. Buckley’s four-fold plan of education. This four-fold plan balances academics, self-expression through the arts, physical development and moral education. She invited Dr. Buckley to open a school on the Young Ranch in Tarzana. Dr. Buckley and two teachers commuted over what were then country roads to teach each afternoon in Tarzana in the small guesthouse of the Young Ranch.
During and after the war the San Fernando Valley evolved from a rural to a suburban area. Dr. Buckley decided to purchase property on Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino and opened a second school in 1946. By this time Doheny encompassed nursery through third grade. Hayvenhurst, modeled on Doheny, was soon overcrowded and Dr. Buckley opened another campus on Woodman Avenue in Sherman Oaks in 1951. Encouraged by parents who wanted their children to continue the Buckley education, Dr. Buckley added fourth through eighth grades at Woodman. As the student body grew it became necessary to purchase more property on Riverside Drive to house fourth through sixth grades, leaving the Woodman site for the junior and projected senior high school. The first high school graduating class, a group of nine, received their diplomas in June 1960.
As the school continued to grow, Dr. Buckley and her staff realized more and more the necessity of a single campus where her plan of education would encompass, in one facility, the educating of young people from nursery through high school. In 1964, the present site on Stansbury Avenue was purchased, and in September 1965, students from the Riverside campus were the first to move to the newly purchased property. In February 1969, elementary students from Doheny and Hayvenhurst, together with the junior high school students from Woodman, took up residence in makeshift classrooms, in the clubhouse, locker rooms and other existing structures of what had been the Glenaire Country Club. The departure of the seventh and eighth grades from Woodman left that property solely to the high school, where it continued until September 1973, when it too moved to the Stansbury property.
Within less than half a century, The Buckley School had developed not only in size and facilities but also in its dedication to the total education of young people. Dr. Buckley is an example of Henry David Thoreau’s advice to dream dreams and put foundations under them. In addition to founding the school, Dr. Buckley wrote two books on education and parenting. Her books College Begins at Two, published in 1965 and Guide to a Child’s World, published in 1951 outlined her educational philosophies. Through hard work and firm dedication to her educational belief, she overcame challenges to accomplish that goal. The history of The Buckley School is a story essentially of the courage and dedication of Dr. Buckley. Though Dr. Buckley died in 1986, she has an enduring influence on The Buckley School. Founder’s Day is celebrated in her honor each October.
Benefits
The school offers medical, dental and vision coverage to employees and their dependents. In addition, the school offers the following benefits:
Retirement savings plan with 100% match of employee contributions up to 5% of earnings
Group life insurance
10 days of personal leave
2-week breaks for winter and spring breaks
Flexible spending accounts for unreimbursed medical and dependent care expenses