About Killian Oaks
A school built around the child in front of us
Killian Oaks Academy empowers each student to discover their strengths, develop genuine confidence, and achieve meaningful academic and personal success through a personalized, student-centered education that is challenging, supportive, and deeply human.
We cultivate curious, capable, and compassionate young people who understand how they learn, take ownership of their growth, act with integrity, and are prepared to contribute with purpose to the world beyond our campus. That is our mission, and everything below is how we pursue it.
- Founded1968, as the House of Learning. Our history
- GradesPre-K 3 through 12th, on one campus in Kendall
- TypeIndependent, nonsectarian, coeducational
- Led byDr. Mercedes "Merchy" Ricon, Director since 2020. Leadership
- AccreditedCognia, AISF, ACS WASC, MSA-CESS, and NIPSA. Accreditation
Our educational philosophy
Eight beliefs that shape every classroom at Killian Oaks.
Every student deserves to be known
Exceptional education begins with knowing the learner, not simply the curriculum: what a student already knows, how they think, where their strengths lie, and what they're ready to learn next. We meet students where they are, and we never leave them there.
Understanding before advancement
Progress isn't determined by the calendar. Students develop genuine understanding of essential concepts before building on them, so gaps are addressed before they become barriers, and students learn that difficulty is part of learning, not a verdict on their ability.
The right challenge at the right time
Work that exceeds readiness produces frustration, and work that asks too little diminishes ambition. A student may need reinforcement in one subject while being ready to move further in another, and a challenge in one subject should never cap a student's abilities elsewhere.
Learning how to learn
Organization, time management, self-advocacy, perseverance, reflection, and problem-solving are taught deliberately, so that students move from asking "Can I do this?" to asking "How can I approach this?"
Confidence earned through accomplishment
Authentic confidence can't be given. It's built when a student understands something that once seemed difficult, when persistence produces progress, and when a mistake becomes a chance to try again.
Educating the whole person
Intellectual, social, emotional, physical, creative, and ethical development, with character shaped through daily choices, relationships, challenges, and responsibilities rather than taught as a separate subject.
Partnership with families
Families bring an irreplaceable understanding of their children. At Killian Oaks they aren't spectators in the educational process. They're valued partners in recognizing progress, navigating challenges, and building independence.
More than the next grade
Education as preparation for a consequential and rapidly changing future: students leave with strong foundations and a belief in their own capacity to learn, grow, contribute, and create a meaningful future.
Who we serve
Killian Oaks has always been a school for students whose education needs to be designed around them.
The child who learns differently, the child who has fallen behind and needs to catch up with confidence intact, the child who is ready for more than a large classroom can offer, and the student arriving from another country. Our admission process starts with getting to know each student and family, and the program is adjusted to the child, not the other way around.
The Academy welcomes students of all races, religions, creeds, genders, gender orientations, and national origins, and it is nonsectarian.
We'd love to meet your child
The best way to know whether Killian Oaks is right for your child is to walk the campus on a school day, watch a lesson, and talk with the people who would teach them. Tell us your child's grade and we'll set a time.