Mirman is definitely a school that’s growing! Since Beyond the Brochure last visited the campus in 2015, that growth has been as much physical as it has been pedagogical: a campus expansion effort was wrapped up in the 2016-2017 school year, effectively doubling the school’s size and offering new athletics and community spaces for its students to enjoy. In just two years, the sports program has enjoyed explosive growth and a few championships to boot. Now, any student in Room 4 through Upper School Four has his or her pick of teams to play on.
“A Mirman School education speaks to all the dimensions of childhood.”
–Dan Vorenberg, Head of School
As Beyond the Brochure pointed out in the 2015 profile, change continues to be in the air at Mirman — though it’s important to note that this change is all in service of the school’s core mission. A rebranding effort that rolled out in the 2016-2017 school year began with a serious survey of several constituencies, including alumni, past parents, current parents, students, and preschool directors. The resulting changes were aimed, in part, at demystifying what’s happening on this stretch of Mulholland Drive, allowing the school to widen its reach and better serve its mission. The somewhat opaque grade level labels (Room 1, Room 2, etc.) are on their way out, too; last year’s Kindergarten class (this year’s First Grade class) are trailblazers in that the grade level names will change to a more traditional structure as they progress through the ranks.
While it’s true that prospective students still need to meet an IQ requirement before applying, the school has, since the last profile, taken a long look at its admissions process and made some changes to ensure greater accessibility. They no longer accept the Stanford Binet, and instead require a 138 or above on the WPPSI-IV (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence) and the WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children). A full IQ FAQ is available on the school’s website by clicking here, but of note is the fact that the Wechsler tests have been updated to consider broad cultural factors and measures several subsets of intelligence. The pool of testers has been narrowed, too, to allow for consistency, and financial assistance is available for those who qualify.
When it comes to financial aid assistance, Mirman is, according to statistics from the California Association of Independent Schools and the National Association of Independent Schools, a leader in its category. One in six families receives some form of tuition assistance, with the average grant outpacing many competitor schools. More information on tuition assistance is outlined here on the school’s website.
Finally, several signature programs continue to grow and gain traction at the school. The World Languages program has expanded to include Mandarin beginning in Kindergarten and running through Upper School. MirmanX is a middle-school startup accelerator which funds three projects each year to the tune of $10,000 to take them from concept to minimum viable product (with the kids retaining all of the intellectual property). A stellar performing arts program includes two full-scale theatre productions each year, and an award-winning Choir will be performing at Carnegie Hall this summer. And the importance of social-emotional learning is underscored by student leadership councils, service learning partnerships, and an Advisory program in the upper school.
For more information, visit www.mirman.org
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