Fairmont Schools: Seventy Years and Counting

Fairmont was founded in 1953 by Kenneth Holt, a public school educator who wanted more curricular and instructional freedom than the public system allowed. When his push for change went nowhere, he started a small summer instructional program out of his own home in Anaheim. Demand from families was immediate — by that same September, the program had become a full school.

As enrollment grew, Holt purchased a larger site — the historic Carroll Estate near downtown Anaheim — and the first dedicated Fairmont campus opened there in 1955 with 65 students in grades K–8. In those early years, Holt served in essentially every role the school needed: principal, classroom teacher, bus driver, and janitor.

Over the following decades, Fairmont grew to five Orange County campuses — Historic Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, Preparatory Academy (grades 9–12, in Anaheim), and San Juan Capistrano (Preschool–12). By its 70th anniversary in 2023, Fairmont had become the largest secular, co-educational Preschool–12 private school in Orange County, educating more than 2,400 students and repeatedly named Best Private School in Orange County.

In 2023, Fairmont joined International Schools Partnership (ISP), a global network of K–12 schools. Fairmont's own materials describe the relationship as preserving each campus's individual identity and day-to-day operations, while adding access to ISP's broader network — international learning opportunities, cultural exchange programs, and cross-border student collaboration.

Curious how this network of campuses reached San Juan Capistrano? Read our Campus History page.