The Home of Social and Academic Excellence Since 1938

The esteemed independent educational institution marked its 80-plus year dedication to growth, improvement, and future-forward thinking with a name change in 2021, from Marymount of Santa Barbara to The Riviera Ridge School. Another turning point in the evolution of the school was 1972, when an enthusiastic group of parent volunteers purchased the school from the nuns who had founded it as Marymount School three decades before.

Marymount began to integrate the teaching of other faiths into its curriculum. In 2007, the faculty partnered with the UCSB Department of Religious Studies to create the Kaleidoscope Program, which studies all world religions through the prism of moral, ethical, and spiritual systems.

“We’ve brought with us everything that we loved from the past 83 years of history into the current day so that nothing gets left behind,” says Head of School Christina Broderick. “What I love the most is that the students realize how much we have in common rather than how different we might be.”

The Kaleidoscope Program remains a signature component of a curriculum that teaches an enrollment of 225 students, ages three to 14, through the lens of different faiths and cultures. It’s all part of an academic approach that strives to promote social and emotional intelligence and ethical responsibility.

One of the priorities of The Riviera Ridge School is increasing the socioeconomic diversity of its enrollment to better reflect the demographics of the Santa Barbara community. Broderick says the school is committed to significantly growing its endowment to ensure that any student needing financial assistance has access to the school.

One alumnus who benefitted from this educational experience was AV Bennett. Bennett thrived as a scholar athlete, and recently graduated from UCLA. His nephew is also now enrolled at Riviera Ridge, following in his uncle’s footsteps. “Mason is at such a pivotal point in his life, and I couldn’t think of a better environment than The Riviera Ridge School for him to attend,” Bennett says. “I want Mason to experience the inclusiveness that I felt. I want Mason to be a part of the family, just like I was.”