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Think you know Dawson?

Think again.

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Rigor is different here.

Deep thinking over busywork.

Students stay with ideas long enough to question them, connect them, and truly understand them.

Real work, not just assignments.

Learning is applied through discussion, design, problem-solving, presentation, and public-facing work.

A group of students sits in a circle on a blue patterned carpet, collaborating over various papers, books, and green craft materials spread across the floor.

Growth through challenge.

Feedback, reflection, and revision help students build independence, resilience, and readiness for what comes next.

A young boy in a red polo shirt writes in a notebook in the foreground, while other students sit in a blurred classroom background.

Purpose drives learning.

At Dawson, learning doesn’t stay in the classroom. Students apply their thinking to real questions, real audiences, and real communities—building skills that prepare them for what comes next.

They turn complex challenges into innovative, real-world solutions.

They use imagination and skill to build meaningful ideas.

They find clarity and share their voice with confidence.

They build stronger outcomes through shared responsibility and respect.

They see education as a tool for community engagement.

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Intro

Dawson students know how to...

…take intellectual risks.

Dawson students know how to take intellectual risks.

Dawson students take intellectual risks because they learn in an environment where curiosity is encouraged and mistakes are part of the process. When students feel safe to try, question, and revise, they’re more willing to stretch themselves and tackle meaningful challenges.

In seventh- and eighth-grade French and Spanish, students perform skits and write original stories, treating mistakes as stepping stones to learning.

A female teacher stands with her hands raised in a classroom, surrounded by students sitting at desks against a backdrop of educational posters and a world map.

…advocate for themselves and others.

Dawson students know how to advocate for themselves and others.

Dawson students advocate for themselves and others because speaking up is part of how they learn here. Reflection and goal setting help them understand their strengths and needs, and Student Voice Groups give them a place to lead, listen, and act on issues that matter.

Each Voice Group takes on a semester-long initiative; Mental Health Advocates, for example, designed yoga and mindfulness experiences for younger students.

...leverage feedback.

Dawson students know how to leverage feedback.

Dawson students leverage feedback because it is woven into how work gets made here. In Design Labs, art studios, and classrooms, students give and receive specific feedback, then revise their thinking and keep refining their work until it holds up.

In the third-grade National Parks unit, students define their ranger mission together and build the rubric that guides their own performance.

Three young boys in polo shirts look at a tablet in the foreground, while wooden shelves filled with art supplies and sculptures stand in the background.

…understand themselves as learners.

Dawson students know how to understand themselves as learners.

Dawson students understand themselves as learners because teachers let them in on how learning works. Students set goals, see their own progress, and reflect on the strategies that help them most, so they can explain where they are and what comes next.

Walk our halls and ask any child what goal they're working on, and they'll tell you.

…persist through challenge.

Dawson students know how to persist through challenge.

Dawson students persist through challenge because teachers know where each student is as a learner. They pitch the work just beyond what a student can already do, then give the support that helps them work through productive struggle.

The habit starts early: Early Childhood students practice persisting when something is tricky, and Lower School Brain Bogglers puzzles build perseverance.

…grow into confident learners.

Dawson students know how to grow into confident learners.

Dawson students grow into confident learners because their work keeps showing them what they can do. They tackle meaningful problems, present to real audiences, and reflect on how far they’ve come. By the time they leave Dawson, students know how to learn, lead, and contribute with confidence.

As one graduate put it, "Nothing was rote, and I always felt ahead of my peers."

Three children are focused on a task at a table in a classroom with educational posters and a patterned curtain in the background.

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The difference is clear.

Jeff Shih

...If we could go back in time, sending our kids to Dawson is one of the things we would never change.

Janpeg Steele

Dawson deeply understood what my children were capable of and how they could challenge them.

Perry Rogers

When you look at the culture of Dawson, it is about engaging the child in the world, in belief in themselves and in their community.

Opal Latpate

One of the things Dawson did extraordinarily well was give me the bandwidth and freedom to explore what I was interested in.

Anthony Gebbia

I want kids to be academic risk-takers. To have the desire and willingness to take chances.

Karina Sanghikian

When I saw the term project-based learning, that was the moment I knew this was the right school for me.

This is Dawson.

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