Keys School

Keys School is a coeducational independent school for kindergarten through eighth grade with two campuses in Palo Alto. Younger children attend the Lower School on Middlefield Road in Midtown. Fifth to eighth graders move to the Middle School on El Camino Real. The school says it has about 320 students and 78 faculty and staff.

This page covers what Keys publishes about its history, campuses, program, admission process and 2026 to 2027 tuition. Our private schools guide lists other options in and near Palo Alto. We do not publish rankings or outcome claims.

History and approach

Keys does not post a founding date on its main pages. In her welcome letter, Head of School Heather Rogers writes that the school has stayed true to its founding vision for more than 50 years, which places its start in the early 1970s. Treat any exact year you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until the school states it.

The mission statement says Keys aims to help students develop "a keen intellect and a generous spirit," advocate for themselves and others and honor curiosity and reflection "in an increasingly hurried world." Two ideas come up again and again on its site. The first is emotional intelligence: the school pairs academics with explicit social-emotional teaching, including a curriculum called Self Science in middle school advisory. The second is letting "kids be kids," with time for unstructured play in the early grades.

The K to 8 structure is a deliberate choice. Keys argues that keeping middle schoolers in the same school as younger children gives the older students leadership roles as buddies, student council members and athletes, while the younger ones get role models.

The two campuses

The Lower School sits on Middlefield Road in Midtown, on a site OpenStreetMap shares with First Christian Church. The Middle School is on El Camino Real in the Ventura area of south Palo Alto. The two are about a mile apart. Both open at 7:30 a.m. for free before-school care. Middle School families can also drop their child at the Lower School to ride the shuttle across town.

Lower School program

The Lower School page stresses learning by doing. Students build model cities, prototype inventions during Maker Time and compose music with GarageBand. Other parts of the program the school names include Tech and Media, enrichment in the arts and sports, a homework approach that tries to protect family time and a weekly Wednesday Gathering. The school employs 11 specialist teachers at this level.

Social science follows a grade-level roadmap built around identity, starting with "All About Me" in kindergarten and working toward civil rights in eighth grade. After care runs to 6 p.m. with a snack, homework time, games and science projects.

Middle School program

At the Middle School, students take more ownership of goals and time management. The school mentions dissections in the science lab, ceramics in the art studio, robotics races, an IDEAS Lab and a student newspaper called the Dragon Chronicles. Other features:

• Advisory. About nine students per advisor, meeting several times a week. Each grade has a theme: identity in fifth grade, how actions affect others in sixth, individuality and resilience in seventh and how passions can create change in eighth.
• Clubs. Many are started by students and meet before, during or after school.
• Student leadership. A student council with two representatives per grade plans spirit weeks and the Halloween parade. Students also speak at the all-school Opening.
• High school search. Eighth graders work with a high school search consultant and the head of the Middle School when they apply to high schools.
• Extended Day. A quiet study hall from 3:30 to 6 p.m. for a fee.

Outdoor education and athletics

Kindergarten to third grade take one outdoor education trip a year. Fourth to eighth graders take two, one in fall and one in spring. For grades 2 to 8 the school partners with Naturalists at Large. The trips tie into the science and social studies curriculum.

The Dragons compete with nearby independent schools in 11 sports over four seasons, including cross country, flag football, golf, swimming, basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis and track and field. The program is open to every middle schooler and all players get into games.

Admission steps and dates

Keys uses Ravenna for applications. The school's checklist for fall 2027 entry:

1. Create a Ravenna account, complete the application form and pay the $100 fee.
2. Upload student and family photos, schedule a parent or guardian conference and complete the parent questionnaire. Applicants to grades 6 to 8 also complete a student questionnaire.
3. Request a current teacher recommendation and, for grades 1 to 8, a head or advisor recommendation and transcripts. The school suggests doing this by November.
4. Schedule the student visit. Kindergarten and first grade applicants attend a campus playdate. Grades 2 to 8 attend a school visit day. For sixth grade the visit day is optional and there is an after-school activity instead.
5. Optional: a tour, an open house, a virtual Keys Highlight evening and the financial assistance application.

The school says it does not accept late submissions or appointments after the January 7 deadline. The Middle School open house was October 17, 2026. Virtual tours are scheduled for December 3, 2026 (Lower School) and December 4, 2026 (Middle School).

Tuition and financial assistance for 2026 to 2027

The Keys tuition page lists these figures for 2026 to 2027:

• Kindergarten to grade 4: $47,700 a year.
• Grades 5 to 8: $51,400 a year.
• One-time new student enrollment fee: $2,000.

Tuition covers overnight and day field trips, outdoor education trips, most supplies, team sports and before-school care. Hot lunch through Choicelunch and after care are optional extras. After care costs $4,140 a year to 5 p.m. or $5,525 a year to 6 p.m., with drop-in rates of $17 to $51 a day. Families can pay in one installment, two installments split 60 and 40 percent or 10 monthly payments. The split plans carry a fee. Rates for 2027 to 2028 had not been posted in late October 2026.

Financial assistance is need-based and runs through the SSS platform. The school says admission decisions are made separately from aid decisions and encourages any family who may need support to apply by January 15, 2027.

Visiting Keys

Tours fill early, so the school suggests booking through Ravenna at the start of the season. Families coming from out of town for a tour or a playdate will find hotels along El Camino Real within a few minutes of the Middle School. You can compare Palo Alto hotels or read our guide to hotels along El Camino Real. Another K to 8 option in south Palo Alto is Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School.

Frequently asked questions