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The Howard Gardner School is an intentionally small, independent, experiential school serving grades 6-12 on two campuses - one in Alexandria, VA and the other in Sterling, VA (Loudoun County). Our mission is to help bright, creative, non-traditional learners use their unique strengths to thrive academically, intellectually, and emotionally.
Our Alexandria Campus is home to both middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) programs. Nestled in Rose Hill, the Alexandria Campus provides us with indoor and outdoor classrooms, laboratory spaces, and our beloved "tech shed," where we so often see the sparks and arcs of students bringing their projects to life.In the Fall of 2022, we opened our Fairfax-Loudoun Campus in Loudoun County, just east of Dulles Airport on the Route-28 corridor. There are both high school and middle school programs on the Fairfax-Loudoun Campus.
We are now serving bright, creative, non-traditional learners in both middle school and high school on both campuses. While we are fortunate to call these remarkable places home, we also spend a substantial amount of time in the world, exploring the vast cultural and environmental resources at our fingertips in this region.
Learning at HGS is active and hands-on, based on Howard
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, rooted in a tradition
of progressive education, and clearly related to students own
lives.
Cooperative learning plays an important role in facilitating
learning and group skills.
Teaching of course content is fully integrated with weekly
field studies trips throughout the area, and internships in the
student's field of interest.
The school environment and procedures are based on
well-researched principles of adolescent development. The most
fundamental tasks in adolescence are establishing identity and
developing relationships. So, we make sure that our curriculum
feels relevant to our students, that their internships help them
explore different aspects of themselves, and we include a lot of
group work so they can work on their relationship skills.
We also believe in making learning fun.The Howard Gardner
School features: enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff, very small
classes, exciting, active hands-on learning, creative, college-prep
curriculum, experienced college counseling, support for different
learning styles, reduced homework load, 10:00 A.M. start time for
high school, 9:30 A.M. start time for middle school.
Please see our website for additional information:
www.TheHowardGardnerSchool.org
Considering a mid-year transfer from public to private school? Learn what to expect with admissions, academic placement, social adjustment, and financial aid to ensure a smooth transition.
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The average private school tuition in Alexandria, VA is $20,692 for elementary schools and $40,250 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
