Manzano Day School

Joy in Learning® Since 1938

About Us

Our Campus

Founded in 1938, Manzano Day School is an independent, nonprofit elementary school for children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school’s historic six-acre campus borders Old Town and downtown Albuquerque and is home to charming adobe buildings, placitas, and gardens. The more recent modern additions to the campus also fit within the historical context while meeting contemporary needs.

Our Students and Teachers

We enroll over 460 children from culturally, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse backgrounds. Manzano Day School provides its students with an opportunity to experience Joy in Learning®. Each member of our faculty is sensitive to individual learning styles and the need to present developmentally appropriate, yet challenging material in a nurturing atmosphere.

Our Approach to Learning

Manzano Day School's mission is at the heart of everything we do. Faculty, staff, and students live the mission every day:

Manzano Day School is dedicated to innovative child-centered education, excellence in teaching, and Joy in Learning® to prepare children for a life of discovery and community involvement in our diverse world.

Our curriculum is aligned with national standards and is rich in content and delivery. In addition to the core subjects of reading, math, science, and social studies, the six co-curricular subjects of art, library, music, physical education, Spanish, and technology are part of every student’s schedule.

Our Fenton Ranch Environmental Education Program

Manzano Day School's campus extends beyond its urban boundaries to Fenton Ranch, located in the Jemez Mountains eighty miles northwest of Albuquerque, bordered by the Rio Cebolla and Santa Fe National Forests. The ranch, homesteaded in the 1800s by the Fenton family, provides a setting for environmental education and an ideal atmosphere for the study of ecosystems. All classes, from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, spend one to three days at the ranch each academic year. Students gain an awareness of and appreciation for the natural world as they learn ecological concepts, develop personal reliance skills, and practice outdoor abilities.

Our Core Values

The core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, and striving for excellence are an integral part of the school culture.

Our Accreditation

Manzano Day School is an awarded National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, is the oldest non-sectarian school in New Mexico, is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and is the only Albuquerque elementary school accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS).