A UCLA-Affiliated Independent School in Los Angeles, CA

Welcome to Geffen Academy

Geffen Academy at UCLA is a university-affiliated school for students in grades 6-12. We value academic depth and inspiration within a humane educational environment. Our community is guided by principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Geffen Academy students are encouraged to be questioners, analysts, and presenters, who are creative, collaborative, and active young adults. Our students practice their skills, competencies, and relationships with deliberation.

Geffen Academy graduates believe that knowledge is beautiful, transformative, and relevant to one’s life and civic responsibility in a global community.

Adaptable Learners

The lessons learned in school go far beyond the classroom by adding value and skills in order to adapt throughout every stage of human development. Students will draw upon the full spectrum of knowledge gained at Geffen Academy to become well-rounded individuals who are capable of transferring their experiences into positive outcomes. They will forge a strong interdependence between their cognitive and psychological disciplines to develop resiliency. Students will flourish intellectually, socially, physically, environmentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The successes and balance that Geffen Academy students achieve will be the result of their ability to apply what they learned in school to all areas of their lives.
Persistent Inquirers

Curiosity and the art of asking questions lie at the heart of learning. Persistent inquirers recognize that authentic learning requires consistent, active engagement. Geffen Academy students cultivate a curiosity towards the world and about themselves, seeking problems to solve and pushing boundaries to learn more. As skilled researchers, they are adaptable, adjusting their approaches when additional information is discovered and further questions arise.
Compassionate Partners

As a UCLA-affiliated school we value the relationships that emerge from a close proximity to the university. We value the facilities and cultural institutions bordering our campus and look to connect students with the world beyond their school and communities. As such, Geffen Academy students will be compassionate partners to their peers, school community, university, local, and global partners.
Thinkers & Creators

Individuals who make an impact on their communities are both thinkers and creators. Working from a solid foundation of acquired knowledge, they dare to enact novel solutions to complex problems. A challenging, content-rich, individualized curriculum prepares Geffen Academy students for such thoughtful action and leads them to embrace a life both contemplative and active. As they cultivate the traits of honesty and kindness and acquire the habits of reflection and reasoned judgement, students become better equipped to considerately act in a complex and changing world.
Powerful Communicators

Communication has and continues to be at the heart of human selfhood and mutual understanding. Powerful communicators express themselves with kind eloquence, listen with intent, and shift perspectives to understand and engage diverse audiences through effective mediums. Students master a broad range of communication arts not just as a means of participating in the exchange of information but also as avenues to self-expression, self-discovery, self-formation, and social action. Aware that a mode of communication is never neutral, students investigate the subtle interplay of audience, form, and content.

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A Look Inside 12th Grade Advanced Rhetoric: A Microcosm of Democratic Learning
10/14/2025

This past week, Mr. Simoneaux’s 12th Grade Rhetoric class gathered for their X block class at 3:05 p.m. Students assembled desks into a circle to form a Socratic seminar before taking their seats to discuss their first topic: how to discuss. One student took notes on the classroom whiteboard as the group established norms for class discussions. Questions and comments posed by the group included...

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7th Grade Science Symposium at UCLA
2/5/2025
This week 7th Grade students participated in our second annual scientific research poster symposium at UCLA, showcasing their original work on environmental and chemical effects on seed germination. The event, sponsored by the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, was attended by faculty and graduate students from the Division of Life Sciences and the David Geffen School of Medicine, as well as families. The students presented their projects with great enthusiasm in a professional, thoughtful and focused way. They shared their conclusions, proposed insightful future direction and answered questions. Faculty members shared how impressed they were by our students’ commitments to their work and ability to be such powerful communicators and thinkers.

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Elective Reading: An Essential Element to a Complete Education
12/19/2024

One of the pillars Geffen Academy was founded on was the concept and practice of elective reading. Geffen Academy's Elective Reading program offers students the chance to read freely and for enjoyment, an essential element of a complete education. The program allows students to choose books based on their interests, as well as books that challenge them to learn about people, places, and perspectives "out of their comfort zone." Students read fifteen minutes in the morning, at the beginning of the school day, and are encouraged to read even more at home.

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Advanced Astrophysics Students Take Their Learning from the Lab to UCLA and Beyond
10/14/2025

Dr. Megan’s Advanced Astrophysics students have been charting a journey that begins in the Geffen Academy science lab and stretches to the UCLA campus and Westwood Park. This month, students began exploring how ancient civilizations understood their surroundings, using charts and derivations to connect the Earth, Moon, and tides with special help from a fellow Geffen Academy parent who is also a hydrologist.

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A Banner Year for Geffen Academy Mock Trial
2/5/2025

In only its second year, the GeffenAcademy Mock Trial program expanded from nine students to 23. Throughout September and October, students studied witness statements, prepared questions for direct and cross examinations, and developed arguments based on real cases and law. This culminated in two trials at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse as part of a competition that featured 134 schools from around LA County. Geffen Academystudents demonstrated their ability to think on their feet, speak in public, and to argue and object. The team also racked up recognition in this year’s tournament.

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Meals With Your People: Taking A Bite Out of the Proverbial Apple
10/7/2024
by Dr. Sibyll Carnochan Catalan, Founding Head of School

I’m delighted to say that I have found the start of the 2024-25 school year to be wonderful — exciting, calm, and connected all at once. From our first days in August, when I saw so many of you on the front steps, to now some four weeks later, as I greet kids in the stairwell in the mornings, I see students connected to each other, connected to their classes, and connected to their goals and hopes for the year.

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A Look Inside 11th Grade Advanced Aesthetic Inquiry
10/14/2025
In Dr. Reed’s 11th grade Advanced English class, students gathered for a Socratic seminar activity with a student-centered discussion on Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle.” The class has been practicing the technique of literary close reading, which means looking at what is actually on the page, rather than some idea “behind the text.” After a preparatory reading quiz that asked students to define a handful of unusual words from this unusual story, they discussed the one word that they found to be the most important. Prime candidates included “hen-pecked,” “azure,” “approbation,” “addled,” and “Babylonish.” No matter the word, the question was the same: why is this the most significant word in the story?
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Academic Lab and Office Hours: Cornerstones of Geffen Academy’s Culture of Care and Learning
10/7/2024
By Stacey Jasper, Middle School Academic Dean

At Geffen Academy, Academic Lab and Office Hours are more than just support mechanisms; they embody our culture of care and kindness and align seamlessly with our school-wide learning goals. These H Block offerings are designed to foster an environment where students feel supported, understood, and empowered to achieve their academic potential.

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How Do The Arts Teach Us to See the World Differently? Reflections from Geffen Academy's Arts Educators
12/20/2024

When we talk about a transformative education, we must first ground ourselves in the importance of being able to talk across differences. In order to talk across differences, we must foster the ability to see the world differently. An intentional and robust arts education is vital in crafting this skill. When asked about how the arts teach us to see the world differently, Visual Arts Department Chair Rebeca Puga answered with a comprehensive breakdown of the Geffen Academy arts education.

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