Alona Scott  

Alona Scott joined The Buckley School in 2019 as its first female head of school since it was founded by Isabelle Buckley in 1933. Drawn to Buckley as both an educator and a parent, Alona moved back to her native Los Angeles with her husband, Lacarya, and their two boys, Mo (13) and Zeke (11). She has enjoyed returning to favorite childhood haunts and discovering many new gems the city has to offer.

A graduate of Princeton University with a degree in religion and a minor in education, Alona also earned graduate degrees in reading and literacy, and private school leadership. She has spent her career in independent school education—teaching, working as director of a preschool, lower school and middle school, and more recently serving as head of Keys School in Palo Alto.

A firm believer in constructivism—an educational approach that allows children to learn by doing—Alona is also deeply committed to equity and inclusion. “It’s very rare to see ‘equity and inclusion’ in the first sentence of a school’s mission statement, and that’s a key reason I was attracted to Buckley,” she says. 

Last year, Alona led Buckley’s faculty and staff to develop a “Portrait of a Graduate,” the set of personal attributes and demonstrated behaviors the school believes every senior should possess upon graduation. This portrait will help inform a new strategic plan that will launch Buckley into its next chapter of leading in teaching and learning.

“Dr. Buckley’s founding philosophy, which put equal weight on academics, athletics, the arts and moral education, together with our outstanding faculty and a mission to stay dynamic and innovative will continue to prepare students for college, life and a future of endless possibilities,” Alona states. “As our alumni attest, a Buckley education is a lifelong gift of intellect, opportunity and community.”