Our History
Honoring Our Past,
Inspiring Our Future
In 1983, Kent and Carol Landsberg established Echo Horizon School with a bold vision: to create a school where children who are deaf-and hard-of-hearing could learn alongside their hearing peers in a fully inclusive environment. Twenty students walked through our doors that first year, beginning a story of vision, determination, and commitment that continues today. From the start, the school maintained a thoughtful balance—approximately 15% of the student body are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students—ensuring an educational experience that benefits every child.
At Echo Horizon School, every student benefits from our pioneering co-enrollment model as it builds lifelong communication and advocacy skills, authentic respect for diversity, and an environment where every learner feels seen, heard, and valued.
Echo Horizon’s approach has always emphasized both academic excellence and character development. We continue to honor the Landsbergs’ vision by helping children think critically, understand their connections to others, and embrace their unique gifts. Over 40 years and hundreds of graduates later, Echo Horizon remains a nurturing, innovative, creative, and inspiring place where every child can grow, learn, and flourish together.
Our Historical School Building
Our historic Culver City building was constructed in 1925 and originally served as the Washington School, one of the city’s first school buildings. Designated as a "significant structure" in 1991, it sits at the end of a tree-lined residential street in the heart of the Culver City Arts District. Echo Horizon School proudly displays multiple Culver City Public Art installations throughout the campus, including the sculpture Echo, Echo by artist Guy Dill.
The Echo Center: Where It All Began
Although Echo Horizon School was officially established in 1983, its story begins more than a decade earlier. In 1970, founder Carol Proctor partnered with parents, educators and interested community leaders to create The Oral Education Center (OEC), later renamed Echo Center, where she spearheaded the development of a formed language structure that enabled deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children to develop intelligible speech.
Through this work, Proctor observed how a fully developed language structure supported both hearing and DHH students in preschool and elementary school settings, with some of the most successful outcomes seen at University Elementary School (UES). These observations led her to envision an inclusive school that could bring all children together. This vision ultimately led to the creation of Echo Horizon School.
