Rancho Solano officially opened the doors of its 82,000 SF Ventura Campus at 9180 E. Via De Ventura.
The new campus was built by hardison/downey. Ayers Saint Gross was the architect.
The new campus comes 58 years after the school’s founding by pioneering educator Tedii Bayer-Freesmeyer and showcases striking views of surrounding vistas in an academic setting.
“This is a pivotal point in Rancho Solano’s history,” said Jim Carruthers, president, Rancho Solano. “With the launch of this extraordinary facility, we will improve our delivery and dedication to delivering the finest education to our local students as well as our boarding students. The Ventura Campus was designed for students to experience a competitive, world-class education and prepare them to be successful in an increasingly competitive, global marketplace.
“It’s also fitting that we landed our prized facility within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on Via de Ventura in Scottsdale, adding another level of cultural diversity to Rancho Solano”, Carruthers added.
Rancho Solano’s Ventura Campus, three years in the making, opened its doors on Aug. 6, with 270 students, 30 classrooms and class sizes limited to 20 students. The campus serves middle and high school students from metro Phoenix as well as from around the world with 40 students presently attending from nine different countries. In addition, scholarships will be available to children of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community.
The Rancho Solano preparatory high school has four honors schools and classrooms with glass doors that open into collaborative spaces designed for each educational core. The four core honors disciplines include Entrepreneurship, Math/Science/Technology, Humanities and Performing Arts. The Entrepreneurship program puts students into real-world situations to encourage firsthand experience in the marketplace. Its collaborative area includes a digital stock ticker that lines an upper wall. The Science sector can expand to host a science fair in the collaborative area, the Humanities section offers boardroom-like settings and the Fine Arts core has movable stages.
In addition to outstanding academic honors courses, Rancho Solano is the only private school in greater Phoenix to offer the accredited International Baccalaureate Programme (IB), which is recognized worldwide for its academic rigor. As a member of the Meritas International Family of Schools, other academic differentiators include the Meritas Academic Plan and Touchpoints, a program where students partner with peers around the globe and use video conferencing to resolve global dilemmas with those in other Meritas schools.
In the coming days, Rancho Solano’s Ventura Campus will break ground again to begin the creation of a 25,000 SF student center/gymnasium.
