The Girls' Middle School

The Girls' Middle School, known as GMS, is an independent school for girls in grades 6 to 8. It has been in Palo Alto since 2011, in a leased building on West Bayshore Road near Highway 101. It plans to move to a campus of its own on Fabian Way in spring 2027. The school says it enrolls about 200 students from more than 45 elementary schools around the Bay Area.

This page covers the founding, the coming move, signature programs, the admission calendar and 2026 to 2027 tuition as GMS publishes them. For other options, including the girls' school Castilleja, see our private schools guide. We do not rank schools.

Founding and history

Educator Kathleen Bennett published a prospectus for a girls' middle school in 1996, formed an advisory council and began raising money. GMS opened in September 1998 in Mountain View with 35 sixth graders and 13 staff members. From the first year it taught a three-year computer science sequence and ran Intersession and social-emotional learning classes.

The school's timeline lists the milestones that followed:

• 1999: a scholarship endowment and the Entrepreneurial Program begin.
• 2000: Spanish for Fluent Speakers launches and eighth graders take their first trip to El Molino, Mexico.
• 2006: one-to-one laptops arrive and a skateboard ramp is completed.
• 2008: accreditation from the California Association of Independent Schools and entry into the West Bay Athletic League.
• 2011: the move to 3400 West Bayshore Road in Palo Alto, with enrollment rising to 64 students per grade.
• 2016: the scholarship program is renamed the Bennett Scholars Program after the founder.
• 2023: a 25th anniversary celebration at Mitchell Park Community Center and the school's 25th Día de los Muertos celebration.
• 2025: the purchase of 3950 Fabian Way.

Bennett's original statement of purpose still guides the school: to educate girls "at a crucial time in life" in an environment where each girl "discovers her strengths and expresses her voice while respecting the contributions of others."

Campus today and the move to Fabian Way

The current address is 3400 West Bayshore Road, Palo Alto 94303, on the frontage road beside Highway 101 in the Palo Verde area. GMS has always rented its buildings. In 2022 Head of School Christine Fairless launched a capital campaign for an owned campus. In 2025 the school bought 3950 Fabian Way.

The school's new campus page says GMS will move there in spring 2027. It describes plans for natural light throughout, more room for experimentation, classrooms for industrial arts and robotics and flexible indoor and outdoor spaces. Fabian Way sits in the Charleston and San Antonio corridor of south Palo Alto, near the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, the Kehillah high school and a growing number of apartments. The school also plans community programs, parent education, summer learning and gatherings for educators at the new site. Moves of this size can slip, so check the school's page for the current date.

Signature programs

The Entrepreneurial Program

Every seventh grader takes a year-long, interdisciplinary entrepreneurship course. Teams design a new physical product, start a small company with seed money from the school, manufacture the product, market it and sell it. The year ends with a night when students present to a panel of Silicon Valley investors and sell to the community. The school says the course builds leadership, product design, project management, math, marketing and public speaking skills. Our page on Stanford entrepreneurship programs covers the grown-up version of this world.

Intersession

Twice a year GMS stops academic classes for a full week of Intersession. Girls choose activities that are new to them or that they want to explore deeply. Past offerings the school lists include community service, fiction writing, painting, interior design and bicycle maintenance. Teachers, parents, local groups and alumnae lead the sessions. Class sizes are smaller than usual.

Computer science and robotics

Computer science has been part of the curriculum since 1998. All sixth graders get basic robotics experience in that class. Seventh and eighth graders can join the robotics club, which competes in the VEX V5RC league. The club began in 2018 as a parent-led effort and grew into an after-school program with several teams.

Other parts of the program

Other parts of school life the site highlights include surfing, metal shop, a school musical since 2015, African dance and no-cut athletics in the West Bay Athletic League. Spanish for Fluent Speakers serves students who already speak Spanish at home.

The Bennett Scholars Program

Named for the founder, the Bennett Scholars Program supports high-achieving girls who often attend under-resourced elementary schools and would be the first in their families to go to college. Scholars receive a full scholarship plus laptops, lunches, uniforms, one-on-one tutoring and the cost of all trips and materials. The school says it also offers transportation, language interpretation, counseling and mentorship, along with help applying to high school and, later, to college.

Admission

GMS uses Ravenna. The school says all admission events are open to every family without an application or fee. Key dates for fall 2027 entry:

Each year GMS enrolls 64 to 68 sixth graders and admits a few students to seventh and eighth grade when space allows. Qualified applicants who are not admitted may go into a wait pool that often stays active through spring and sometimes into summer. The school describes the students who do well there as willing to take risks, think critically and learn from each other. Its gender policy considers any student who identifies as a girl when applying.

Students come from about 18 towns, from Hillsborough to San Jose. GMS offers a carpool map and a paid morning and afternoon shuttle. It encourages nearby families to walk or bike.

Tuition and Flexible Tuition for 2026 to 2027

GMS's affordability page lists 2026 to 2027 tuition of $52,500. That covers after-school sports, homework club, textbooks and all school trips. Not included: a one-time technology fee for the student laptop, uniforms, hot lunch and the shuttle. Tuition for 2027 to 2028 had not been posted in late October 2026.

Instead of a traditional aid award, GMS runs Flexible Tuition, where qualifying families pay an amount set to their capacity. The school says contributions range from $5,000 to $40,000. The average paid by families in the program last year was $20,500. Applications go through Clarity, with a $65 fee that can be waived, by February 5, 2027. Admission decisions are made independently of aid applications.

Visiting

Admission events run through December. West Bayshore Road runs along Highway 101 between the Oregon Expressway and San Antonio Road exits, so the campus is easy to reach from the freeway. Families flying in for a visit or interview can compare hotels near Highway 101 in Palo Alto or browse our where to stay guide. If you are also weighing the public route, our PAUSD middle schools guide covers the three district schools.

Frequently asked questions