For over 50 years, Wildwood School has been committed to a progressive approach defined by research-driven educational practices.
Elementary School Overview
At Wildwood, children are active, curious participants in their learning. They read, write, ask questions and engage in research, explore mathematical ideas, investigate the world through science, and express their thinking through art and performance. Across every classroom, curiosity is welcomed, ideas are taken seriously, and children are encouraged to wonder, create, discover, and grow as full human beings.
The elementary program begins with our youngest learners in the primaries, which include kindergarten and 1st grade, and continues through 2nd-5th grade. In the primaries, children learn in our distinctive two year Pod model, with a thoughtfully composed mix of kindergarten and 1st graders together in each class. Pods are designed to give children both the challenge and support they need as they grow. Children's cognitive and social and emotional development are supported by giving them the opportunity to have diverse roles within a safe, nurturing classroom environment.
Nurturing Young Learners
Each day is designed to spark curiosity through hands-on experiences, meaningful inquiry, and project-based learning. Children step into intellectually rigorous experiences that require them to ask questions, make connections, and engage deeply with the world around them. Through social studies, reading, writing, mathematics, science, and the arts, students have opportunities to investigate authentic ideas, collaborate with peers, and apply their learning in purposeful ways. Along the way, our dedicated teachers encourage them to find their voices, think deeply, and grow as compassionate members of their community.
Cultivating Curiosity
From the beginning, students are engaged as leaders of their own learning. Teachers shape the learning experiences by using a Systems Thinking approach that encourages students to think critically and analytically, to notice patterns, examine relationships, ask meaningful questions, and understand how different parts of the world connect. In this way, students are invited to make deeper connections between themselves, their communities, and the world in which they live.
Project Highlight
Delivering Joy Through the Wildwood Post Office
As part of a year-long focus on community, and what it means to be part of and contribute to one, Wildwood's 2nd grade class revived a tradition of days past—the Wildwood Post Office.
Elementary School Environment
Elementary students have an entire campus designed with them in mind—spaces that invite exploration, creativity, connection, and learning. From classrooms to shared gathering spaces and specialized studios, each environment is thoughtfully designed to support children’s growing independence, curiosity, and sense of belonging.
For instance, an outdoor classroom centered in the school garden engages students to think deeply about the natural systems around them, while our Futures Lab serves as a hub where students can explore technology and engineering concepts in a collaborative, project-based environment, fostering creators, problem-solvers, and critical thinkers by integrating technology with real-world challenges.
Meanwhile, the library, intentionally positioned to be the first space children encounter as they walk onto campus, serves as the heart of our campus where children gather, connect, and build relationships with books and stories that offer both windows into a world beyond their own and mirrors that reflect their own experiences, identities, and communities. Throughout their time at the elementary campus, students are immersed in a safe and loving environment where confidence, independence, and agency are grown alongside their academic learning.
