Campus Transition FAQ

We are excited to share that Khan Lab School is transitioning its physical campus locations by Fall 2021! This FAQ includes information about these campus transitions. To generally learn more about our school, please see our General FAQ page.

Palo Alto Campus Preview

Lower & Middle Schools FAQs: Palo Alto Campus

Where is the new campus located?

Is there a way for me to see the Palo Alto Campus now?

What else can you tell me about the campus?

The building and grounds are spacious enough for us to have all IL 1-5 students at school for in-person instruction in the fall, even if we must still follow COVID-19 protocols. This is a change of facility, not a change in philosophy—we still believe in self-paced, mixed-aged, mastery-based learning, and though we are moving to what looks like more traditional classroom space, once COVID-19 has passed, our students will be free again to move about the building, going from class to class and greeting students of different ages in the hall. There will be areas for both quiet and collaborative goal time, and ample space outdoors to learn and play!

When will KLS transition to the Palo Alto Campus?

Will the whole school be moving to Palo Alto?

How many students do you plan to have at the Palo Alto Campus?

How close is Caltrain to the Palo Alto Campus?

Will there be a shuttle between the Palo Alto and the Los Altos Hills campuses?

What time will school at the Palo Alto Campus begin and end? What if I have a student on both KLS campuses?

We would like to continue our 9:00 a.m. class start time, and will request that as part of our Conditional Use Permit process. However, based on the current CUP (Conditional Use Permit) for the school building, we may have to shift our class hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and our after school hours from 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.

We are currently working on the daily schedule for both campuses and will likely have staggered arrival and departure times.

What impact will this move have on tuition rates for the 2021-22 school year?

How will Math be managed for Lower or Middle School students in Algebra I and above?

Can students graduate faster at KLS than at a traditional school?

Will IL5 students now have to apply to KLS High School?

How will Lower and Middle School students on the Palo Alto Campus interact with our High School students?

High School students will come to the Palo Alto Campus for all-school events, such as assemblies, Khanival, BBQs, Lunar New Year celebrations, and peer tutoring. We also are planning all-school concert events on the High School Campus. High School students who lead Inquiry Lab (formerly Extended Day) clubs will come to Palo Alto to lead those efforts. We are still determining the best campus location for our robotics program. Other opportunities to bring the entire school together will certainly arise as we plan the upcoming school year.

Will IL4 and IL5 students have the chance to participate in Robotics?

Yes, but we need adult coaches and mentors in order to launch programs for students IL1 through IL5. In our current Robotics program, Middle School students are able to participate but they are not allowed to compete. With the move to Palo Alto, we hope to introduce a Robotics program for Lower and Middle School where they can have their own competitions—And we already have High School students eager to serve as student-mentors for this program!

How will lunch work?

How long is our lease for the Palo Alto Campus?

High School FAQs: Los Altos Hills Campus

It has always been our desire at KLS to extend the reach, diversity, and enrollment of our High School program. Over the past year, we have actively been seeking a school location that offers expanded facilities, and more importantly a like minded partner, that supports the purposeful pursuit of these goals. Our search for a new location began with conversations with the Foothill College leadership team in February 2020, just before both of our organizations moved our programs online.

With the opportunity to move the Lower and Middle School to a location in Palo Alto that is uniquely suited to those programs, moving our High School program to a space on the Foothill College Los Altos campus became a real possibility. Basing our High School at Foothill will provide an opportunity to take our existing program (same courses, teachers, and approach) and extend the opportunity for our students to take dual enrollment courses and to have access to facilities a small school like ours typically does not have an opportunity to provide.

Additionally, a key element of this relocation will be the ability to both extend the original KLS school vision of sharing our model more broadly with other educators and to more intentionally collaborate with the other high schools in the Foothill dual enrollment network that have campus-based programs. In the coming years, we expect to forge a deeper symbiotic partnership with Foothill College much as we have with other programs such as Schoolhouse.world, Khan Academy, Hello World Studio, and the Case Method Project.

What are the plans to move the High School to the nearby community college campus?

Khan Lab School is working with the community college senior leadership team on plans to relocate the KLS High School to the campus as soon as their physical facilities are accessible to us. While we are targeting an August 2021 relocation, state and county health requirements may delay this move to January 2022. The relocation date is dependent upon the community college being open for students. At the moment we are collectively working on a lease agreement.

What is the current connection between the community college and KLS?

How many students do you anticipate having at Los Altos Hills Campus in the future?

What time will the High School begin and end? What if I have a student on both campuses?

What is the pick-up time at the Los Altos Hills Campus?

Will attendance work the same at the two campuses? What about mid-day arrivals and departures?

How might the academic calendars differ between the two campuses?

Will students also take KLS-only courses?

Will KLS High School students interact with community college students?

Yes. KLS High School students will continue to take KLS dual enrollment classes (e.g. Biology 10 and Chemistry 25) in KLS classrooms at the community college. First year high school students should anticipate taking one community college class. IL7 students are most likely to enroll in non-dual enrollment community classes and will have more opportunities to interact with college students and students from other high schools.

College classes usually have a lot of materials for each class. Will books and materials be included in tuition?

The cost of books for required dual enrollment classes such as Biology 10 and Chemistry 25 are covered by KLS. The cost of books and materials for elective classes will be covered by families. Note that most college classes provide the opportunity to use books that can be rented, checked out from the library, or are open source. The community college faculty generally make an effort to suggest materials that are cost effective for all students. Students receiving KLS tuition assistance are eligible to apply for support for college books and materials. Any family with concerns about books or materials expenses should contact KLS.

I really believe in the KLS Mastery model. Will “dual enrollment” classes follow a traditional college class with letter grades?

How many college classes will an IL6 student take?

Will the classes for IL6 be “dual enrollment” classes or will they be mixing with other college students?

Will my student graduate with college credits?

How will lunch on campus work?

How will High School students interface with Lower and Middle School students on the Palo Alto Campus?

Where will FIRST Robotics be held?

Chi-Ray Chien, Lead Mentor for FIRST Robotics and Head of Operations & Technology, will be looking at options on both campuses and we will make a determination prior to the start of the next robotics season. We may need to have our High School Robotics team meet at KLS@Palo Alto because of space requirements. If we continue to include Middle School students on the FRC team (which was designed for High School students), then there would be an additional opportunity for multi-age interaction. We will send more details about the Robotics program in the future as we determine next steps.

WIll students be able to use the athletic facilities at the community college?

Do we have to rent the basketball facilities at Foothill College?

Will students be able to use the library at the community college?

Are lockers available for our High School students?

Will there be a shuttle between the Palo Alto Campus and the Los Altos Hills Campus?

Will the drop off window be the same at the Palo Alto Campus and the Los Altos Hills Campus?

How many current KLS families will have students on both campuses?

Will there be KLS Faculty members on site all day 5 days a week?

How will KLS know where the High School students are on campus at any given time?

Are there other high school students on the community college campus during the day?

Does the community college have campus security services?

Will High School students still have KLS Advisors?

How would I drop off/pick up my High School student?

What is “dual enrollment?”

Dual enrollment is when a high school student is dually enrolled in high school and a community college. Dual enrollment classes are community college classes, with enrolled high school students, who can receive college and high school credits simultaneously. Dual enrollment classes can help ease the transition to college and also offer high school students the opportunity to explore college majors before enrolling as a full-time student. Students can earn a maximum of 11 credits through dual enrollment classes per Term.

Are approvals needed by KLS to take non-dual enrollment classes?

Will IL6 students be allowed to go to the library or cafeteria on their own without adult supervision?

Will all students be dual-enrolled? Do students have to take community college classes or is it just an option?

Will there be parking for faculty, staff, and students on campus?

Will students be able to drive to Palo Alto Campus to drop off or pick up siblings?

What if my child is not really ready for college level classes when they are a first year high school student?

What will the differentiation be like between courses with similar focuses at both the community college and KLS?

Will this make it easier for our students to get priority for science class enrollment? 

If CA state schools like Foothill College continue to be closed in Fall 2021, does that mean the KLS High School will continue to be remote? Or will they be able to meet in person at the Villa St. campus?

Is it true that the KLS classes will be open to the public so that people outside of KLS can join them? If so, how is that going to work and will we still be able to stay a close-knit community with that in place?

How will Community Meeting work?

High School Community Meetings are opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and special guest speakers to meet and learn together. Community Meetings will continue to take place at the Los Altos Hills Campus. Middle School students at the Palo Alto Campus will be invited to virtually attend Community Meeting as their schedules permit. We are also considering our options for community events that will bring our two campuses together, and we plan to share more details as they are available.