Oakwood History
Oakwood’s roots run nearly fifty years deep. The story of Oakwood began with the founding of its sister school in 1959 in Los Altos, California. There, Gwen Riches opened Pinewood School to serve the students in her community. Demand for Pinewood’s programs was strong and the school grew quickly, opening a middle school and then a high school over the following two-and-half decades. The Riches family is now in its third generation of growing Pinewood and looks forward to doing so for the next fifty years.
Oakwood was founded and is operated today by Gwen Riches’s oldest granddaughter and her husband. The school has gained tremendous support from its Pinewood roots, but has grown strong based on the hard work and dedication of a tremendous faculty and staff and the amazing support of a school community that is second to none.
Most who visit the campus feel there is something quite special at Oakwood. In fact, most who visit to evaluate the school for their own children choose to apply. The reason for this is no secret. When children are taught in a small and nurturing classroom environment by subject-focused teachers who love what they do, wonderful things happen. Add to that a strong curriculum, broad extra-curricular opportunities and beautiful facilities and you have an educational opportunity that is unmatched in the area.