Our
Campuses

A Long-Standing History
In 1971, the Nueva School moved to its current campus in Hillsborough, which is situated on the ancestral lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone communities. The 33 acres of terraced land includes a historic home built by the Crocker family in the 1930s. This building houses our Lower School (preK through 4th grade classrooms), and the surrounding grounds continue to provide students with an abundance of play areas, including a garden and the forts. The heart of the Lower School is the gathering room (formerly known as the ballroom), which is used for community gatherings, dance and music classes, and other events for students and families.

To support the expansion of our Middle School program, the Hillside Learning Complex opened its doors in Hillsborough in 2007, becoming Nueva's Middle School campus and the school's first LEED Gold Certified building.

In 2014 Nueva expanded again, this time to the site of the former Bay Meadows horse racetrack in San Mateo.

Hillsborough Campus

The Hillsborough Campus
(Grades PreK–8)

Nueva's Hillsborough campus comprises the Lower School (grades preK–4) and Middle School (grades 5–8), each with their sections of the campus.

Lower and Middle school students share two playgrounds, art studios, science labs, a library, a media lab, a gymnasium, an athletics field, the Innovation Lab (I-Lab), garden, and café.

In January 2020, the new Science and Environmental Center opened. This building houses both Lower and Middle School science classrooms. In 2024, the building received a Green Building Award from Sustainable San Mateo.

The Lower School Building

The Lower School Building (formerly the Crocker Mansion) is the school's historic heart. It houses the preK through fourth grade classes, and includes an art room, community gathering spaces, kitchen, nurse's office, and some administrative offices. Many concerts and other special events take place in the Gathering Space. The grounds around the Lower School building provide preK–8th grade students with a variety of outdoor areas to explore, including a garden, hiking trails, and the beloved forts.

Over the years, Nueva families, faculty, and alumni have lovingly referred to the outdoor and indoor spaces of the Lower School as a central part of the Nueva experience.

The Hillside Learning Complex

The Hillside Learning Complex primarily houses middle school students and administrative offices and additionally serves students between grades preK-4.

Embodying the key features of progressive education, the Hillside Learning Complex includes a pre-K through 8th library, media lab, grades 5-8 classrooms, Café, Innovation Lab (I-Lab) for science, engineering, and art projects, and a central outdoor plaza that serves as a gathering space for all.

Opened in 2007, the Hillsborough Complex is LEED Gold certified and built on principles of environmental sustainability.

San Mateo Campus

The San Mateo Campus
(Grades 9-12)

In August 2014, Nueva officially opened a second campus in the Bay Meadows neighborhood in San Mateo, CA. Situated on the ancestral homeland of the Ohlone peoples, the campus is home to the Upper School (grades 9–12). The high school was established in 2013 to re-envision the traditional high school experience and address the unique needs of high-ability students. The San Mateo campus is LEED Gold certified and a 10-minute walk from the Hillsdale Caltrain station.

Aligning with the schools values around environmental citizenship, the San Mateo campus is intentionally transit-friendly, located just a five-minute walk from the Hillsdale Caltrain station. The building is LEED Gold Certified, and is designed to use 65 percent less energy than a typical high school building. It was conceived as a “living laboratory” that inspires student research into low-carbon, resource-efficient learning and living. The campus's organic gardens, learning landscapes, and a variety of bioclimatic design strategies anchor students in a strong sense of place and connect them to the rhythms of nature.

Within its first six months of opening, the San Mateo campus received sustainability awards from the city and county of San Mateo, and it has been recognized by Caltrain for the Go Pass program (read more). In the spring of 2015, the campus received a Green Building Award from Sustainable San Mateo.

In the fall of 2019, the Diane Rosenberg Wing opened. Named after the school's longtime head (from 2000 to 2020), the building houses two I-Lab classrooms, five multi-purpose classrooms, and music studios.

Campus Visits

We welcome visitors to both of our campuses. Prior to scheduling your campus visit, please review our Nueva Visitor Policy (updated March 29, 2023)

Admissions Tours

Families interested in applying to Nueva should visit our admissions page to learn more about campus tours.

Informational/Educator Visits & Tours

We welcome educators, researchers, and other academic practitioners to our campuses. These tours are scheduled in advance and are available when school is in session from September through the end of April.

If you would like to visit, please click here to complete our Educator, Researcher, and Academic Practitioner Tour Request Form.

Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design

Nueva's Hillside Learning Complex in Hillsborough and the San Mateo campus are both LEED Gold certified. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is recognized by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED elements include natural ventilation and lighting, integrated indoor-outdoor environments, renewable and recyclable building materials, reintroduction of local and lost ecosystems and habitats, integrated instructional elements, radiant slab heating, and potable water conservation.

The design and operation of both campuses promote responsible environmental practices to reduce pollution and energy consumption through proactive transportation demand management programs, environmental education, and recycling and waste management.

In This Section

Our
Campuses

In This Section

Hillsborough Campus

The Hillsborough Campus
(Grades PreK–8)

The Lower School Building

The Hillside Learning Complex

San Mateo Campus

The San Mateo Campus
(Grades 9-12)

Campus Visits

Admissions Tours

Informational/Educator Visits & Tours

Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design

Campus Resources

Welcome to the Nueva Library

Innovation Lab

The One-to-One Laptop Program