Le Guin is far and a way my favorite author. I've found her work to be consistently interesting and relevant.
The magic school part of it is also interesting compared to the kinds of stories that come later (see: Harry Potter), because the school is actually competent. The teachers are good mentors and provide an actually safe learning environment. As a result, not much of the story actually takes place there and the only thing that goes wrong is because of Ged's own personal failings.