About Us
The City of Dharma Realm Instilling Goodness Elementary and Developing Virtue Secondary School is a K-12 private Buddhist day and boarding school that integrates academic excellence with moral and spiritual growth. Located within the City of Dharma Realm monastery, students learn in an environment that encourages mindfulness, compassion, and respect. Our unique curriculum combines Buddhist Studies, Ethics, and Chinese language and culture with a strong academic foundation, preparing students to thrive in life and serve their communities with wisdom and kindness.
Our Founder
Venerable Master Hsuan Hua dedicated his life to education and the spread of the Buddhaâs teachings. He believed that true learning begins with virtue and that education is the key to world peace. His vision continues to guide our schools in nurturing wise, compassionate, and responsible individuals.
âTo promote world peace, we must begin with education. The destiny of the world lies in the hands of young people.â
â Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
Teaching Philosophy
Education at Dharma Realm Schools focuses on both knowledge and character. Our teachers lead by example, guiding students to be disciplined, kind, and curious. We value traditional teaching methods while embracing modern, creative learning approaches. Through this balance, students develop confidence, empathy, and integrity.
Mission & Values
Promote kindness, integrity, and humility
Encourage curiosity and academic excellence
Honor both Eastern and Western traditions
Cultivate mindfulness and service to others
Foster respect for all cultures and faiths
Why Choose Dharma Realm School?
Dharma Realm School (CDR IGDVS) is the second Buddhist school under DRBA founded in 2011 and holds the same aims of its main campus at CTTB for developing the whole child, emphasizing both academic and character development. Both schoolsâ founder, the Venerable Master Hua said, âEducation is the foundation for being a person. It is the foundation for the world; it is the true national defense.â IGDVS schools instill and develop students with Confucian core virtues of propriety, fairness, integrity, kindness, filial reverence, humility, loyalty, and trustworthiness.
The aim for his schools is to develop young students into outstanding citizens who will contribute to making their community and the world a better place. In addition to the standard CA academic curriculum for K-6 and a college-preparatory curriculum for grades 7-12, students also acquire essential life skills for a calm, balanced, and compassionate livelihood through meditation, ethics, and Buddhism classes.
Taught by qualified and dedicated staff
Many of our Dharma Realm Schoolâs faculty hold MA or PhD degrees and have years of extensive teaching experience.
Small Class Sizes & Personalized Curriculum
Small class sizes let teachers tailor lessons to each studentâs needs and work with them one-on-one.
100% College Acceptance Rate
100% of our graduates each year receive college acceptance and UC admissions.
Extracurricular Activities
Students take on leadership roles outside of class to cultivate and nurture a mind of selflessness, benevolence, responsibility, and strong ethics.
School Lunch
Quality and nutrition matters here at Dharma Realm School. Our homestyle vegetarian lunches are cooked fresh daily ensuring that each meal feels like a taste of home.
Testimonials
âWenqian has changed from a willful, selfish boy into a sensible, trustworthy, and compassionate person. He has built an outlook on life and a healthy lifestyle. These are the most important qualities that cannot be learned in other schools. With this foundation, we donât need to worry about him in the future...We hope that he can remember the eight virtues he has learned here and become a beam of light to bring brightness and warmth wherever he goes.â
- CDR IGDVS Parent, Mr. Zhang
- Vincenzo T.
âBefore coming here I was homeschooled[,] which is a very different environment than CDR. This school was tough for me at first. But the toughness of this school brought out the best in my academic abilities.â
âI want to say thank you to all the Dharma masters, volunteer teachers for providing me such a wonderful environment to live and study in, selflessly and kindly offering me great care and support, teaching me all the high school courses to move toward my future career, and putting all the possible efforts to instruct me so that I can correct my faults and develop moral character. When I was sick in the hospital, your caring visits and supportive words sustained meâĤAs I begin a new journey in my life I will use everything Iâve learned in CDR IGDVS as my foundation, motivation, and direction to pioneer a new future and contribute my effort to society.â
- Spirit M.
CDR IGDVS '20
UC Santa Barbara '24
âI learned a lot during my three years here, things I have never done before, such as cooking vegetarian meals, assisting in community work, and managing my own time for schoolwork. CDR IGDVS is like one big family. Teachers help students and older students help younger students as everyone strives to work together. I am happy that I could extend a helping hand to my community. I sang in the school choir during CDRâs Honoring Elders Day, decorated the venue, cleaned up after the event, showed and helped elders to their seats, and when we have school lunches, I serve my younger classmates rice and stir-fried veggies. My emergence into this culturally unique place exposed me to learning different topics, such as Chinese Ethics, Buddhism and Meditation. I want to thank all Dharma Masters and my teachers for helping and teaching me so much. They pushed me to improve academically and to develop into a better person.â
- Kaixuan L.
CDR IGDVS '20
UC Davis â24
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Experience our campus, meet our teachers, and see how our learning environment supports mindfulness, curiosity, and compassion.