Midland School is a small, co-ed, outdoor education, preparatory boarding school for grades 9 to 12 in Los Olivos, California. Midland was founded in 1932 by Kent School and Harvard graduate Paul Squibb. Squibb envisioned a small, rural community reliant on the work of its inhabitants to meet its basic needs. Squibb and his wife, Louise, founded Midland in the midst of the Great Depression, believing that the essentials of education are a student, a teacher, and an idea. Campus and surroundings The school is located on 2,860 acres (12 km²) of largely undeveloped ranchland characteristic of central California's coastal hill country. The main part of the campus is split up into living yards and academic spaces called Lower Yard, Middle Yard, and Upper Yard. The school also has a 10-acre organic farm and garden, grazing land for steers, and a horseback riding facility. Students live in cabins which are heated by small wood stoves. Until 2022 when the school changed over to solar-powered water heaters, students chopped wood to make fires to heat their shower water. Some 25 percent of Midland's electricity needs are met with grid-tied, student-installed solar arrays. Several campus buildings, including on-campus faculty housing, were constructed decades ago by students and faculty. Midland is approximately 35 minutes by car from Santa Barbara. It is two hours' drive north of Los Angeles and five hours' drive south of the San Francisco Bay Area. The property neighbors the Los Padres National Forest, the largest national forest in California, and is also adjacent to the San Rafael Wilderness Area, home of the Manzana River and its tributaries. Student jobs An integral part of Midland's philosophy is self-reliance, and students and faculty perform much of the work that goes into maintaining the school. All students have daily jobs that are an essential part of school operations. Farm-to-table and Ranch-to-table programs The school has a organic garden. Students help with planting, cultivating, and harvesting the fruits and vegetable that are delivered to the school kitchen or donated to local food pantries. The produce from the garden, orchard, and farm provide about 50% of the food eaten by this California boarding school community. The school also raises grass-fed steers for beef. Students help by moving cattle on horseback and taking part in all parts of the ranching cycle around the property. Athletics & activities The athletic program is based around fall, winter