About

Mission & Philosophy

Mission & Philosophy

The Orchard School’s mission is to develop and educate the whole child. As a progressive, non-sectarian, independent school, Orchard commits to advancing each student’s academic success, self-confidence, open-mindedness, ethical character, leadership, and love of learning.

This is the 102nd year of successful outcomes at The Orchard School. Orchard provides a Progressive education with a focus on experiential hands-on learning. Our 43-acre wooded campus provides many outdoor learning spaces letting us stay true to our commitment that nature is the best teacher.

List of 4 items.

  • Progressive Teaching

    • Engage the natural curiosity of students in an active, child-centered, and experiential learning environment.
    • Provide a well-rounded education that includes core academics, visual/performing arts, physical education, outdoor education, service learning and extracurricular activities to develop the whole child.

  • Academic Excellence

    • Create an expectation of achievement by extending the curriculum beyond grade level benchmarks.
    • Encourage independent thought and expression, construction and application of knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving, persistence, and collaboration.
    • Develop lifelong learners.

  • Diversity and Education for a Global Society

    • Foster, appreciate and support a diverse faculty and student body.
    • Experience, learn, and practice inclusion, equity, and social justice.
    •  Develop the capacity to recognize and respect differences through curriculum, open inquiry, and learning from multiple perspectives.

  • Character Development/ Behavioral Excellence

    • Foster personal integrity and respect for self, others, and the world around us.
    • Commit to service and civic responsibility.
    • Live the Orchard core values of friendship, fairness, honesty, responsibility, self-discipline, respect, trustworthiness, compassion, and moral courage.
Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy as to Students: The Orchard School values diversity and seeks talented students. Orchard admits students of any race, color, national origin and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Orchard does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or age in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.