About

At Highland School, the journey matters, not just where students are headed, but who they become along the way. From Pre-K2 to Grade 12, our faculty and staff combine immersive academics with real-world experience to build the skills to thrive, the confidence to lead, and the drive to serve.

Since 1928, Highland has prepared students for life beyond the classroom. Not by measuring how quickly they collect credentials, but by paying attention to who they are becoming: how they think, how they respond to challenge, and how they show up for others.

We don't talk about character. We practice it. We don't promise rigor. We assign it. Highland students are trusted, challenged, and expected to rise. And that expectation changes them.

Confidence doesn't grow in comfort. It grows when students are purposefully challenged.

At Highland, academics are active, applied, and alive. Students don't just read about science; sixth graders raise trout from eggs and test stream water for environmental research. They don't just study literature; students of Shakespeare read the plays, act out the roles, and attend professional performances. Our robotics teams, which are designed and built for Lower, Middle, and Upper School students, combine mathematics, engineering, and computer programming to turn complex designs into working machines.

Then there are Field Studies, which take learning into the woods, onto the bay, and beyond the classroom walls. Because life doesn't happen at a desk.

The right college isn't the most impressive one. It's the one that fits.

Highland's college counseling begins in Grade 9, not with a list of schools, but with a conversation about who each student is and where they want to go. Counselors work directly with students and parents every step of the way, refining the search through real experience.

Through Junior Internships, students explore career interests and discover what skills the work demands. Through Senior Projects and Senior Field Studies, they sharpen their goals before they ever submit an application. Each January, young alumni return to share what college is really like.

The goal is simple: help every student find their passion and follow it.

Rigor without support is just pressure. Highland refuses to choose between them.

Our Upper School offers 15 Honors courses and 16 Advanced Placement classes across a wide range of subjects. More than 75% of our seniors take advantage of these offerings every year, challenged by demanding work and supported by teachers who know them well.

It shows in where they go next. Recent graduates have earned admission to the most prestigious schools in Virginia, as well as to Harvard, Dartmouth, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, and Yale.

They don't just get in. They arrive ready.

No two students learn the same way. Highland is built for that.

In our dedicated Learning Center, full-time educational specialists train, tutor, challenge, and advocate for students from Pre-K through Grade 12. The center serves students who need extra attention, remediation, or individualized instruction, not as an exception, but as part of how Highland works.

With a 7:1 student-teacher ratio and small classes built for real discussion, every student is known academically and personally. The result is what every student deserves: confidence, competence, and academic independence.

We measure success by who our students become. Come see how a culture of trust, challenge, and community shapes the leaders of tomorrow.

• Inquire Now to see what a Highland education looks like for your family.
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• Apply Online when you're ready to make Highland home.