The Grauer School, founded in 1991 by Dr. Stuart Grauer, is a grades 7-12 private, college preparatoryday school in Encinitas, California. The school is operated by the Grauer Foundation for Education, a California not-for-profit corporation. The school is a member of the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce, an official UNESCO Associated School, and a member of the California Association of Independent Schools. Grauer is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and its courses are approved through University of California A-G standards as well as NCAA. The Grauer School leads the small schools movement in the United States through its Small Schools Coalition. Classes are typically capped at 12, for a 7 to 1 students to teacher ratio. About 95% of Grauer students join on-campus clubs and sports teams. In 2013, Grauer seniors gained admission to 89% of all colleges applied to. Grauer is the region's only UNESCO-associated school, with sister schools in many nations. On expedition, Grauer Students regularly join students in other schools for cultural and athletic collaborations. Other cultural experiences of note include a trip to South Central Los Angeles in 1992, shortly after the school's inception, where students travelled to "riot central" in post-Rodney King Los Angeles to spend the day with students trapped inside the riot zone. The Grauer School has several annual events. Grauerpalooza, a music and arts festival held on campus each May, is open to all students and faculty to perform music, poetry readings, and display art. Tolerance Day, a day-long event held each year with a rotating theme, is a day of Socratic discussions centering on compassion and understanding, and has featured Holocaust survivors among others as keynote speakers. In 2013, The Grauer School was #10 on Outside magazine's list of 100 Best Places to Work. Dr. Stuart Grauer, Founding Head of School, began the school shortly after completing doctoral work at the University of San Diego, after 17 years at six other schools public and private. Grauer was chosen by San Diego Magazine as one of the "50 People to Watch in 2008". He was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Argentina, named Encinitas Rotary "Peacemaker of the Year," named an Encinitas "Legendary Local," and has served as chairperson for school accreditations across the southwest for The Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In 2013, Dr. Grauer was selected by the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences to receive the 2014 Author Hughes Career Achievement Award. Grauer's book, Real Teachers: True Stories of Renegade Educators, was released by SelectBooks, New York, in March 2013. Grauer's book, Fearless Teaching: Collected Stories, was released by AERO in January 2016.
