Irene M. Hunt School of Marin

San Anselmo

Private School
operated by Sunny Hills Services http://www.sunnyhillsservices.org
Language(s): 
English
Grades: 
K-12
Capacity: 
30 students
Website: https://www.sidebysideyouth.org/programs/irene-m-hunt-school/
Phone: 415-457-3135
Address: 
300 Sunny Hills Drive San Anselmo, CA 94960
Program Type: 
Certified nonpublic school, Special needs support
Editors' Notes: 
  • This school was previously known as Marin Academic Center
1 parent question ▼
Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Irene Hunt or Phillips Acdmy for senior w social/emotional issues

    – Jul 17, 2020
    (3 replies)

    Our 17 year-old daughter is returning from a residential treatment center and we are looking for a high school for her senior year. She is a very bright and outgoing teen, who suffered through some serious trauma that caused a lot of social emotional problems, as well as self-medication through illegal substances. She has made great progress during the last year and we think she will be able to go back to a smaller high school with a fair amount of individual support and attention. We are considering sending her to Orinda Academy. The school district is potentially offering to place her into Phillips Academy in Alameda or Irene M Hunt School in Marin. There is little information available about these last two schools. I would greatly appreciate if someone would share their experience with either of these schools, and if they are appropriate for a bright kid that is still sometimes struggling with the effects of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Of course, remote learning because of coronavirus makes all these decisions even more difficult.

    Jul 17, 2020

    Hello:

    I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is struggling, and I'm glad that she's made a lot of progress. I toured Phillips Academy (at the suggestion of our school district) as a potential placement for my daughter who has similar issues to yours. I did not think that it was a good fit for my daughter. I'm happy to share why, privately. Contact me.

    My daughter ended up at Tilden Prep, which was a lifesaver for her and could be a good transition for your daughter. 

    My teen just graduated from Holden High School and I highly recommend it for your daughter given what you've described. It is very small (40 students total for grades 9-12) and extremely supportive. My child is also very bright and struggles with anxiety and depression. If it weren't for Holden, I'm not sure how they would have graduated from high school at all. Check them out at https://holdenhigh.org. 

    Hello

    Contact me if you'd like to discuss this privately.

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Archived Q&A and Reviews

Nov 2007

I'm interested in any experiences or information about Sunnyhills School in Marin County. It believe it's a not-for-profit CA-accredited treatment setting for adolescents, and Alameda County Public Health may be recommending it for my 16-year-old daughter, who has ADHD & (possibly) a mood disorder. Thanks! Louise

Albany wanted my son to attend Sunnyhills. We looked at the school and decided it wasn't the right fit. My son has depression and it isn't a therapeutic school. It seemed just like a very structured school with an uninspired curriculum--a holding ground to get them through high school. It looked like the place districts sent the kids they didn't want to deal with. We were told that kids were not allowed to contact each other outside of school....no phone calling, no hanging out, etc. High school is a very social time and that didn't seem right. I understand their logic....they are trying to control the kids. I hope this helps. You should definitely take a tour and ask lots of questions. anonymous