Your search for a private school can stop here.  High Bluff Academy is as good as it gets.  Small classroom size, loving, knowledgeable and caring teachers will ensure your child’s academic success.  Not only did our daughter excel in her academics, her self confidence and self image grew and strengthened with each day spent at the school.  She came to High Bluff from a public high school and her spirit was quite low. Her grades were not good and her self esteem was battered.  Fast forward to 2017; she graduated from High Bluff with all A’s and won the HAWK award – the highest honor the school bestows.  This is a testament to the expert teaching skills and the caring environment of High Bluff.

Give a call to the director Jill. It’s worth looking into – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Karen Dovigi

The classes are unparalleled! Low-class sizes and fantastic support!

Susan H.

We are lucky to have such a gem in our neighborhood. The teachers are absolutely amazing and the relationship and bond my son had with them motivated him to work hard, thrive, and excel.

I highly recommend this well-run school. 

Jodi Z.

My daughter completed high school math thru Calculus AB at High Bluff.  It was a really positive and stress free experience, giving her lots of confidence in her math abilities.  Highly recommend for those trying to ensure a solid math foundation vs what is currently offered in local high schools.

Kim McLachlan

We Love this school.  The teachers are so giving of their time and really want your child to succeed. The Principal and Owner are also very involved and have been lifesavers for me as a parent. I would highly recommend this school to anyone whose child would be better served in a small classroom environment.

Kim Stahler

High Bluff Academy is an amazing school with great leadership that can provide your student with a transformative educational experience and set them on a path to success. Dedicated learning community, small classes, welcoming environment for students and their families. Faculty is highly engaged with students and passionate about teaching while watching students achieve their goals and become thoughtful citizens. Community service and leadership is encouraged. Our son is thriving in college as a finance major and is extremely well prepared. Many of his classmates have been accepted to selective universities with merit scholarships.

I highly recommend this private school to any family looking to help their students learn,grow and discover and prepare themselves for the road ahead.

Regina Gerrato

My daughter’s experience at High Bluff Academy has been amazing. The teachers are fantastic and offer a level of support that is rare to find. The teachers truly want the students to succeed and make learning interesting and fun, not stressful and overwhelming. Jill has created an environment where all students are supported and nurtured to be the best that they can be. They work around the kids schedules at Torrey Pines which makes it possible for a seamless schedule thus further reducing stress.  We are truly grateful to Jill and the entire staff at High Bluff for providing a true gift to students.

Tracy K.

The teachers at this school are amazing and inspiring! It is an incredibly nurturing environment. My son has done better here than in any class at his public high school. I’m so grateful I found HBA!!

Kathi Vaughn

High Bluff Academy is a terrific school. The teachers are wonderful, caring, and motivated. The kids have the opportunity to learn in a small class size or a one-one setting. The tutoring and classes are both fantastic. High Bluff is able to accommodate each child’s individual needs which is what makes each child that goes there successful. When our kids are successful their self-esteem is high which in turn creates a happy child, happy parents, and a passion for education with unlimited dreams. We are so lucky to have such an incredible option for education in Carmel Valley.

Laura Cady

Fantastic School and Owner, Jill!! After moving our daughter to two other schools, we finally found HBA. It strikes a perfect balance of academic rigor, small class sizes, and social engagement.

Sean Barry

I came to High Bluff as an international student from India. I had been to University City High School before that. I was surprised when I saw how the staff at HBA cared and taught the students. Instead of giving packet after packet to complete and do it yourself, the teachers made sure we knew everything about the topic before we left for the day. Jill Duoto, the director, helped me to graduate early. She asked Geoffrey Stevens to help me with the U.S. Government. He is the reason I was able to graduate early. He emailed me during the night to see if I had any questions or problems. He made sure that I wasn’t distracted while studying.

Till this date, I still consider him as the one of the best teachers that I have learnt under. While I started my session at High Bluff, I took AP Calculus. My friends and I were pretty nervous, if not scared when it came to AP Calc. The teacher was the kindest and most intelligent guy. He made sure that I knew every tiny bit of the concepts and I didn’t miss anything. The tests he prepared were good! By good, I mean I had no idea I could do those before I took Calc. I had heard a lot about High Bluff when I joined. All I can say about High Bluff is they care about the student when he/she is in the school and even after he graduates. I haven’t been to any school yet that can compare to HBA. The teachers are loving, caring and strict at the same time! I feel proud to be a High Bluff Student and I feel happy that I got to meet all of these wonderful people.

Yash Bhambani

Class of 2014

During my sophomore year, while my peers struggled in chemistry, I decided to enroll in the chemistry class offered at High Bluff Academy (HBA). This HBA chemistry class size was considerably smaller than the classes at TPHS and my HBA chemistry teacher really took the extra time to work with me to understand the subject.  The smaller, more friendly and intimate environment at HBA encouraged me to ask questions and engage with the class. I not only began to receive strong grades, but I retained the information and my love for science grew. After my positive experience with chemistry, I also enrolled in physics at HBA during my junior year.  Once again, I had a wonderful experience being in a small classroom filled with students eager to learn and excel. I was also thrilled to have George as a teacher again because I knew he was genuinely there to help me.

I will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall of 2015 as a science major. I really believe that HBA helped me achieve my goal of attending UC Berkeley by providing me with a rock solid science foundation. I highly recommend High Bluff Academy!

Kyra Grove

I think the money spent at High Bluff Academy has been the best investment I have made in the lives of both my children. They are excited to go to school. They love their teachers, and best of all they are learning the material. I gave my son the opportunity to take Environmental Science for a fourth year of lab science. That class has actually been “life altering”. He now has an interest in environmental science and he knows what he wants to study in college. He has also created a hydroponic garden at home. His education at High Bluff is hands on learning, teaching real life skills and creating opportunities and a future for our kids.

Thanks for the love and the education you give the students.

Kristi Nugent

Up until Nicole started at High Bluff, she struggled academically due to focus issues. The director at High Bluff, Jill Duoto, went above and beyond and took the time to get to know my daughter personally and was able to develop a learning program that allowed Nicole to thrive academically. The entire staff at High Bluff Academy is made up of highly skilled and educated professionals that care about their students. The staff of professionals is available whenever you have a question or concern and they respond quickly to any need that the students or parents may have. The class ratios are very small, giving every student an advantage academically and preparing them for college and their future.

I am forever grateful for Jill Duoto and her staff for the personal investment of time and resources they have put into making my daughter not only a better student, but giving her confidence to believe in herself both personally and academically.

Denise Sander

Torrey Pines has a great reputation. It just wasn’t great for my child. My child’s true potential was not being fulfilled until he came to High Bluff Academy. After we saw what was possible at High Bluff Academy, we enrolled our child in the full time program. He works faster one-on-one and can accomplish so much more in less time. My child has an amazing relationship with each one of his teachers. They know him well personally, he’s not just a number to them, and they can come to him about assignments as easily as he can reach them when homework questions arise. He is fully accountable for all his actions and can’t get away with hiding in the back of a classroom anymore. Jill Duoto, and the High Bluff staff are intelligent, capable, caring, firm, and fair. Jill is accommodating with each individual student’s learning needs and truly cares about each student and their family. School no longer seems like a harrowing experience to our child. He enjoys participating in class discussions, has gained confidence, and is realizing his true potential.

We love what High Bluff has given to not only our child, but to our family. We are very confident that colleges will get to see our child’s true potential. High Bluff has provided us with this confidence with their individual attention, guidance and accommodation of learning style.

Jodi Block

Many student athletes at Torrey Pines have aspirations of playing their sport at the next level beyond high school. In our son’s case, the best opportunities were with an Orange County based team that traveled frequently, both domestically and internationally. Though exciting and enriching, this created a set of academic and practical challenges. Jon required an uncommon solution that provided scheduling flexibility while keeping his transcript academically viable at highly selective Division 1 colleges. High Bluff Academy offered this unique combination. We are grateful for the high quality, accredited instruction that Jon received at High Bluff.

Andre Ramirez

My primary reason for allowing Madison to take chemistry at High Bluff vs Torrey Pines was to give her a positive experience with a difficult subject. An experience where she not only learned the material, but actually enjoyed the class. Madison at this point believes she wants to be a Vet, with that said Chemistry with 40 people in a traditional high school setting could have destroyed her dream as I don’t believe this subject can be taught well in a large classroom environment. I wanted chemistry to be a positive as opposed to a source of frustration for her. The staff at High Bluff is incredibly accommodating. They want all students to do well are willing to put in any extra time necessary to ensure success. Her teacher was incredibly positive and enthusiastic. He has shared his passion for Chemistry with my daughter. In addition he has communicated with me via email throughout the semester regarding my daughter’s progress and offering helpful hints. I highly recommend High Bluff Academy.

Helene Cohen Strong

High Bluff Academy was the perfect choice for my son to take a course during his senior year. His high school offered this course as well and has a great academic reputation, however, he needed to be in an atmosphere where he could get a more hands on approach to Chemistry by having a smaller teacher/student ratio. This allowed him to more fully grasp each and every lesson and really get the personal attention needed for him to succeed. He gained confidence and really excelled in a course we had previously thought might become a huge struggle, and quite possibly lower his GPA at a time when it was crucial for the college application process. The instructor has a very positive approach to teaching and was a true professional. I received an email from him after each exam with my son’s current grade in the class. The lines of communication were always open if you needed to speak with him. I highly recommend High Bluff Academy and its staff! It would have been a tough year without you!

Kim Myrick

High Bluff Academy is a wonderful place to learn. Teachers like George Humphreys are rare. As a teacher myself for over 25 years, I know how hard it is to keep the attention of a child, teenager, or even an adult. Beyond knowledge, it takes the care and nurturing of a teacher that can relate to students and get them interested in learning. The class size and one-on-one attention at High Bluff fosters this nurturing and caring atmosphere. Teachers like Mr. Humphreys are abundant at High Bluff and truly cater to each students needs. The communication between families and teachers is prompt and helpful. Any child attending High Bluff Academy would be fortunate to have “George” for their teacher.

Debbie Keller

I want to thank you Jill and all of your staff so very, very much for all your help with my son, Alex! The confidence you have given him to succeed is invaluable. He has now been accepted into two colleges and he is awaiting more acceptances! If it weren’t for both of you, plus Alex’s hard work, it wouldn’t have happened. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Susan Meyers-Pyke

High Bluff Academy is a terrific school. The teachers are wonderful, caring, and motivated. The kids have the opportunity to learn in a small class size or a one-one setting. The tutoring and classes are both fantastic. High Bluff is able to accomodate each child’s individual needs which is what makes each child that goes there successful. When our kids are successful their self-esteem is high which in turn creates a happy child, happy parents, and a passion for education with unlimited dreams. We are so lucky to have such an incredible option for education in Carmel Valley.

Laura Cady

High Bluff Academy has been a God-send to our family and son. The one-on-one attention and assistance could not be beat. How refreshing to have teachers who actually care about your child and have the extra time to help them succeed. We were particularly impressed with “George” the chemistry teacher. Not only was he brilliant, but he understood teenagers and was a great communicator. We have referred High Bluff to several friends and they are grateful.

Jackson K.

High Bluff Academy is an excellent school and learning institution. My daughter Candace attended High Bluff Academy for tutoring in math and science classes all during her high school years and to prepare for the SAT. The tutors at High Bluff Academy are outstanding, as they are extremely patient, and spend individual time with each student. The director at the school, Jill Duoto, is outstanding. She is extremely knowledgeable about all the colleges, in and out of California, and can assist in helping your child make an informed decision about where they want to attend college. All in all, I am extremely happy with the education my daughter received from High Bluff Academy. The faculty at High Bluff are very friendly, and possess real world experience. Nancy, who runs the office, is extremely helpful, and is able to assist whenever there is a question about schedules, cost of tuition, and teaching staff. I am very glad my daughter attended High Bluff Academy. It is a learning institution dedicated to children achieving their educational goals.

Leeann Lafaso

High Bluff Academy provides a small and focused educational setting that is extremely conducive to learning. Our experience with High Bluff Academy fully met our expectations. Our son truly enjoyed his learning experience in the Chemistry class and valued the one on one attention he received. We continue to recommend High Bluff Academy to all of our friends in the area. It brings peace of mind knowing this excellent option is available when we need it.

Sue H.