The Mardan Timeline

1962: David Eisenman begins a tutoring program with two students in a small office building in Costa Mesa. He names his new school Mardan after his two daughters, Marla and Dana.
1967: Mardan's first day school class opens with 12 students, and offers its first scholarship. The tutoring program now serves 145 students.
1968: The old Costa Mesa City Hall becomes the new Mardan building for 60 full-time students.
1969: The first Mardan student to be funded by a public school district is enrolled.
1970: Day school enrollment increases to 100 full-time students.
1985: Recognizing the need for a more centrally located campus to meet the needs of the community, Mardan initiates a Capital Building Campaign with the goal of raising six and a half million dollars for a new facility.
1990: The purchase and construction of a spectacular custom-designed facility on three acres in Irvine is complete, made possible by the generosity of private foundations, local corporations, and many donors. Staff and students move into their new home.
1994: United Way's Alexis de Tocqueville Society awards David Eisenman its annual Humanitarian Award, for extraordinary service to the Orange County Community.
2008: Mardan commemorates its 45th anniversary on April 27th by Celebrating the Legacy with a gala dinner at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in honor of David Eisenman. Staff, students, parents, board members, and community leaders, past and present, gather to share a special evening of reflection and celebrate the individual who made it all possible.
2009: Mardan launches a technology initiative to improve access to technology in order to advance student engagement and productivity. Generous contributions from foundations and private donors allow us to establish a student computer lab and take steps to improve connectivity for the entire school.


Presently, our doors remain open to children with special needs from all over Orange County, and our students continue to thrive academically and emotionally within our close knit school community.