Throughout the area are several extraordinary private schools dedicated to superior learning across all grades. Whether a family is seeking rigorous instruction, more individual attention or specialized programs, there are private schools that offer opportunities that may not be readily available through public schools. While the following is not an exhaustive list of schools in the area, they represent schools that have earned a reputation for quality instruction and nourishing development of inquisitive young minds.
BASIS Independent McLean
The curriculum at BASIS Independent teaches Liberal Arts with an educational focus on the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Their courses of study are designed to challenge and inspire; students become scientists, artists, writers, mathematicians, linguists, computer scientists and engineers. Even in the youngest grades, the BASIS Independent curriculum is designed to help students establish a deep foundation of disciplinary knowledge to fuel critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.
In every grade, teachers focus on the development of two fundamental competencies: the organization of complex tasks and the productive management of the student’s limited time. Great teachers who are selected as masters of their subject content, ignite students’ interest in achieving challenges, grasping new concepts, and inspiring a desire for lifelong learning.
BASIS Independent McLean is a new Preschool through 12th grade private school with a nationally-ranked liberal arts, STEM-focused curriculum. Every motivated child can achieve academic success with the right course of study and the help of expert educators. The school is opening in Fall 2016 in Tysons and is now accepting applications.
8000 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Virginia 22102
703-854-1253
mclean.basisindependent.com
Pre-K through 12th grade
Mason Game & Technology Academy
The Mason Game & Technology Academy is part of the Mason Computer Game Design Program, and the Virginia Serious Game Institute. MGTA offers age appropriate, on-site, and live, on-line classes in 3D Computer Game Design, Creation, & Entrepreneurship; Modeling and Animation; Digital Art; Multi Platform Mobile App & iOS App Development; Programming and CyberDefense. Summer, spring, fall classes in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, plus a summer pre-college residential Honors Program for High School students. Courses are developed and taught by Mason faculty, and advanced Game Design and Computer Science students, many of whom have start up companies of their own!
George Mason University
4260 Chain Bridge Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
www.PotomacAcademy.org
Ages 8 to Adult
Brooksfield School
Brooksfield was developed to offer a Montessori curriculum enhanced by the power of discovery through the arts and the great outdoors. The Brooksfield philosophy is rich in exciting adventures and opportunities to develop abilities such as self-confidence, independent thinking, risk-taking, and curiosity.
Brooksfield encourages children to be confident in who they are and who they are becoming. Everyday provides a range of opportunities for children to grow into their potential and to express themselves in a natural, spontaneous fashion.
1830 Kirby Road
McLean, VA 22101
703-356-5437
www.brooksfieldschool.org
Pre-K through 4th Montessori school
Congressional Schools of Virginia
Congressional School is a premier independent Infant- Grade 8 school on 40-acres, just minutes from the nation’s capital. At Congressional, we encourage independent thinkers and learners by setting high academic standards. Coupled with a rigorous curriculum, we offer opportunities to excel in the fine arts, on the athletic fields and through a multitude of clubs and activities.
Through an innovative and accelerated curriculum, the Congressional Schools prepare children to embrace the opportunities and responsibilities they will face as global citizens. The core curriculum is enriched with foreign languages, fine arts and athletics.
Congressional’s unique approach to education includes integrating study across disciplines as well as across grade levels, building relationships and a reassuring sense of continuity in their education.
3229 Sleepy Hollow Road
Falls Church, Virginia 22042
703-533-9711
www.congressionalschools.org
Infants through eighth grade
Green Hedges School
Green Hedges School provides an experience that emphasizes core academic subjects, foreign languages, the arts and athletics, while supporting the overall growth of the students.
A balance between academics and the arts and a whole child approach permeates the school culture. Headmaster Bob Gregg adds, “Children enter schools with diverse sets of skills, perceptions and experiences. Yet, an independent school, by virtue of its “independence” from external governing forces, has the unique ability to celebrate these differences within the context of the school’s clearly defined core values. At Green Hedges, these values include Achieve Distinction, Commit to Character, Explore Opportunities and Become Yourself. The collective efforts at GHS embrace these themes and facilitate the creation and preservation of an environment where preschool, elementary and middle school children comfortably grow intellectually, emotionally, physically and spiritually.”
415 Windover Avenue N.W.
Vienna, VA 22180
703.938.8323
www.greenhedges.org
Montessori Pre-School, Traditional Grades 1-8
Langley School
The Langley School creates a child-centered environment that is academically challenging and uniquely engaging. The curriculum is integrated across disciplines, developmentally appropriate, and multicultural.
The students blossom in a safe, structured, and academically rigorous community that enables intellectual risk-taking while promoting positive social and personal development. The Langley School celebrates the middle school years to ensure they are not simply a sandwiched transition between elementary and high school.
For every child the innovative and differentiated teaching is tailored to the different learning styles of the students. Students learn so much more than how to read, solve a math problem, speak Spanish, or use a microscope. Langley prepares students for a life of intellectual engagement and responsible citizenship.
Dr. Elinor Scully, Head of the School remarks, “What distinguishes Langley is our commitment to pre-school through eighth grade children. These are foundational years that can position a child to thrive at work and in the community. We underscore the intellectual, social and emotional development and have a curriculum that is designed to ensure each child’s success.
1411 Balls Hill Road
McLean, Virginia 22101
703 356-1920
www.langleyschool.org
Pre-School through Eighth Grade
StemTree STEM Tutoring
Stemtree’s focus on science, technology, and engineering aligns with today’s nationwide emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Nurturing your child’s inner scientist through fun, hands-on learning built upon a core scientific curriculum, Stemtree gives your child the edge he or she needs to succeed in science and engineering- whether that means a better grade in class, a future science and engineering-related career, or just having fun!
220 Maple Avenue West
Vienna, VA 22180
(703) 281-7836
www.stemtree.com
Kindergarten through
Twelfth Grade
Montessori of McLean
General objectives of the Montessori program are to: nurture self-confidence, independence, concentration, co-ordination, a sense of order, and an awareness of self, community and the world, to encourage and direct the natural desire to learn, choose and solve; and to provide a carefully prepared environment and personnel to support learning as it moves from the concrete base to greater abstraction.
The Primary (preschool/kindergarten) environment is divided into four main categories: practical life, sensorial exploration, language, and mathematics. The academic program also includes art, music, geography, science, history, foreign language, and physical education.
The rich Elementary curriculum includes mathematics, language, reading, grammar, writing, spelling, geography, history, technology, foreign language, and science.
Co-Head of School Meredith Wood offers, “Our mission is to nurture the whole child and to inspire an enduring love of learning that prepares children to live joyful lives as responsible, compassionate citizens, therefore contributing to a peaceful and benevolent society.”
1711 Kirby Rd.
McLean, VA 22101
703 790-1049
www.mcleanmontessori.org
Montessori for children 24 months through 12 years old
Nysmith School for the Gifted
The award-winning Nysmith School is a family owned and operated private school with over 550 students from pre-school – 8th grade. The Nysmith School is known for its diversified, high-caliber academics and fun, child-centered environment, and maintains a low teacher: student ratio so that loving teachers can inspire students with their creative and challenging programs. Nysmith courses emphasize critical thinking, creative problem-solving, clear communication, and exploration. The core curriculum augments reading and math with hands-on science, social studies, foreign language and computers, and students have time after school to pursue personal interests like sports, music, and dance. Reading and math classes are diversified up to four grade levels above level for a well-rounded, high-quality education.
Nysmith School is the Johns Hopkins “Top 10 School In the World”, Winner “CyberPatriot Team 2015”, Winner Thomas Jefferson “Tommy Award”, and the Top 1% Scorers National IOWA Standards Testing.
13625 EDS Drive
Herndon, VA 20171
703 435-7711
www.nysmithschool.com
Preschool through Eighth Grade
Dominion Christian School
Dominion provides a rigorous, college-preparatory, classical Christian curriculum. Promoting an environment of high expectations, each student is supported in the pursuit of his or her fullest God-given potential. Our school strives to equip students with the tools of learning in order that they might be well-prepared to think critically, collaborate with others, and lead the next generation.
Dominion students are college bound, and our program prepares students for admission and success in their colleges of choice and employs the time-tested methods and materials that have produced well-rounded, well-educated generations for thousands of years, including the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and more. Prior to the last 100 years in American education, there were at least three dominant forms of education: basic literacy education, vocational training, and leadership education. The latter form largely focused upon “the making of a man” rather than upon his training, and it is an educational form that has largely been lost today. Dominion sets out to recover this lost form of education, believing it provides an answer to the leadership crisis our nation faces today.
“Believing that thoughtfulness, leadership, winsomeness, and critical thinking are the most important twenty-first century skills, Dominion’s faculty is passionate about holistic student formation in the context of a Christian worldview.” Matt Mitchell, Head of School
10922 Vale Rd, Oakton, VA 22124
703 758-1055
www.dominionschool.com
Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Potomac School
The Potomac School prepares students to achieve academically and to live healthy, principled, and successful lives. Potomac faculty truly get to know each child – their interests and passions and what lights their intellectual fire, challenging students with a rigorous program of inquiry and study. Potomac graduates develop a framework for understanding the world and the skills and traits to succeed in it.
Head of School John Kowalik notes, “A Potomac School education is distinctive in many ways. I think immediately of the excellence of our teaching and the beauty of our wooded, 90-acre campus. One of our great strengths is the fact that Potomac is a K-12 school with all grade levels in one location; this creates exciting opportunities for collaboration and contributes to the strong sense of community for which our school is known.
“In addition to academic achievement, Potomac emphasizes character development and excellence in all dimensions of a student’s lifeThis is the promise of our mission – to prepare students to achieve academically, and to lead healthy, principled, and successful lives.”
1301 Potomac School Road
McLean, VA 22101
703 356-4100
www.potomacschool.org
Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade
Oakcrest School
Oakcrest educates the whole person. Inspired by the teachings of the Catholic Church and the spirituality of Opus Dei, they weave together a rich liberal arts curriculum, character development, one-on-one advising and service to create a vibrant environment that graduates confident young women who will make a difference in all they choose to do.
Students at all-girls schools report having higher aspirations and greater motivation, being challenged to achieve more, engaging more actively in the learning process, feeling more comfortable being themselves and expressing their ideas. showing greater gains on core academic and life skills, being and feeling more supported in their endeavors.
Oakcrest School helps girls to discover and know themselves, to be unafraid of effecting positive change wherever they go. Each girl is encouraged to blossom, given individualized attention that feeds their mind and soul. Girls develop a strong foundation to grow in wisdom and virtue, ready to face the world.
850 Balls Hill Road
McLean, VA 22101
703 790-5450
www.oakcrest.org
Girls’ School for Sixth through Twelfth Grades
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School
The School provides a Catholic education instilled with the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales. It is intended to “make your child’s faith a living, conscious, and active one through the light of instruction.” The integration of religious truth and values with life is the focal point of the curriculum. OLGC School strives for academic excellence, encourages appreciation of the fine arts, fosters self-respect and respect for all life, and attempts to develop responsibility for the total community.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School has a long standing reputation for excellence in academics and a caring, family environment which facilitates learning and the child’s spiritual, social, emotional and physical growth. Students who successfully complete the course of studies at Our Lady of Good Counsel School are well prepared for academic success in high school and beyond. Our graduates typically choose to attend Bishop O’Connell and Paul VI High Schools, Gonzaga College High School, Georgetown Visitation, Georgetown Prep, and other private and public schools.
8601 Wolftrap Road
Vienna, VA 22182
703 938-3600
www.olgcschool.org
Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
Westminster School
Westminster’s academic program is based on the belief that children between the ages of five and fourteen are naturally dominated by curiosity and enthusiasm for life, and want nothing so much as to understand the world around them, discover how they fit into it, and show what they can do. To satisfy and stimulate this appetite for learning and accomplishment, Westminster presents a diverse, challenging curriculum in a purposeful classroom environment which emphasizes thorough mastery of subject, high standards of achievement, good study habits, and personal responsibility.
Westminster provides to students in preschool through grade eight a well-rounded education steeped in the classics, whose fundamental goals are a disciplined and well-informed mind, strength of character, dedication to learning, generosity of spirit, creativity, and joy in the possibilities of life. Accelerated curriculum includes the core subjects, as well as Junior Great Books, French, Latin, Art, Music, Drama, and daily PE.
Experience, explore and create at Camp Griffin. Pre-K to 8th grade.
3819 Gallows Rd
Annandale, VA 22003
703 256-3620
www.westminsterschool.com
Pre-K through Eighth Grade
