The Salmon Creek School is located at 1935 Bohemian Highway between Occidental and Freestone and is committed to teaching responsible stewardship through its special place in the watershed. Located between a coastal creek and a redwood forest, the extraordinary 50-acre school site consists of the following:

• 30 acres of redwood forest and trails
• Creek and observation deck
• Restored perennial wetlands
• 3/4-acre school garden
• Native plant nursery

The HUSD consists of Harmony Elementary and Salmon Creek Middle Schools, which are located on one site. The K-8 school campus serves nearly 260 students, with 15 teachers and 15 additional staff. The school site has several new facilities and includes a full-sized gymnasium/performing arts building. Salmon Creek runs through the District’s 50-acre campus, which lies in the heart of the Freestone Valley, just outside the town of Occidental.

The District fosters an educational philosophy that nurtures the uniqueness of each child through implementation of student-centered curriculum in a warm and supportive environment. We are committed to an articulated place-based, environmental education curriculum. The campus–with its multiple eco-systems, native plant nursery and garden program–provides the perfect venue for linking place-based learning with real world scientific and ecological principles while also demonstrating sustainable environmental practices.

Enhancing the school’s environmental program will be the construction of the Salmon Creek Falls Environmental Education Center, a LEED certified building which will provide a cafeteria, assembly space and meeting rooms for the District and the larger community. The District has received multiple grants in support of this project, and a capital campaign is currently underway, with construction slated to begin in 2007.

The support and involvement of parents is strong. The Ark Education Foundation provides financial and volunteer support for the arts, music, Spanish, poetry, sports, and garden programs, along with funding for supplies and equipment.

Harmony Union School District also oversees Pathways Charter School. This independent study program has its own staff with an enrollment of nearly 700 students.