Upper Campus is officially getting a renovation: the Los Altos Hills City Council approved Pinewood’s Upper Campus renovation project and proposal of adding 75 students to the high school. The approval, which was finalized in late March, marks the end of a two-year negotiation period with the Town of Los Altos Hills. President and Head of School Scott Riches said the approval was the last and most difficult step in the lengthy planning process, which began in 2022.

   “The City Council approval was the final approval [for] the plans from a town zoning approval standpoint,” Riches said. “It is significant because the Town of Los Altos Hills has very strict residential guidelines.”

   Head of Upper Campus Eve Kulbieda and Riches have begun the process of selecting a general contractor. Riches said that the school is examining the professional experience of the general contractors.

   “All general contractors we are considering have significant private school experience,” Riches said.

   In the coming weeks, the two will meet with newly renovated and actively renovating schools such as Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, Castilleja School in Palo Alto, and Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough. Kulbieda hopes that the Crystal Springs visit will help Pinewood understand the best way to preserve student life during the renovations.

   “[Crystal Springs] doesn’t have temporary buildings,” Kulbieda said. “They only have a few classrooms so I would be curious to go up there.”

   Currently, Pinewood is considering two options for continuing school activities during the renovation. The first option is to use portable classrooms on campus.

   The second option is to relocate to a facility up to five to seven miles away from the current campus location. Kulbieda believes that the Pinewood community will remain strong no matter which option is chosen.

   “We are the school, not the buildings,” Kulbieda said. “Whether we’re here or somewhere else, we’re still going to have that Pinewood fun, frivolity, and joy.”

   The council’s approval is the latest in a string of development milestones.

   In 2024, Pinewood and a team of architects finished the floor plan of the renovated campus. The plan will include an upgraded athletic training facility, a modern art studio, and an updated maker space.

   Then, in February 2026, the Los Altos Hills Planning Commission unanimously approved the renovation plans, the precursor to the most recent approval of the Los Altos Hills City Council.

      As the Upper Campus enters a new stage of its transformation, Kulbieda said the renovation will augment Pinewood’s existing academic excellence.

   “It’s what happens at the heart of a school that matters to me,” Kulbieda said. “But I am excited for our buildings [to] match the excellence of our programs.”