Dr. Julia Montgomery
Head of School
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Thirty years in independent schools, and still teaching a ninth grade seminar.
The Oakridge prospectus
Ask a better question.
Close reading. Lively seminars. The courage to try again.
- Weekday mornings
- Book a campus tour →
- K to 12
- Find your child’s school →
- Still teaching
- Meet the leadership →
- Events in November
- The autumn notebook →
A small failure. A better idea.
What a week of learning looks like here, from a robot that will not turn to a senior thesis defended in public.
Why won’t it turn?
Both wheels spin, but the robot veers left. Change one thing, watch closely, write down what happens. Then try again.
“A question worth a year.”
Senior research, Class of 2027
How learning happens here
Upper school seminar
Small classes. Expansive futures.
From the first good question to an independent point of view. Find your child’s next chapter at Oakridge.
Kindergarten to Grade 4
A big world. A good beginning.
A story read aloud. A new number understood. A melody that finally comes together. Caring homeroom teachers make room for each child’s curiosity.
- Class size: 16 children, with two teachers through Grade 2
- Program: Strings for every child from Grade 1
- The day: Morning meeting, recess outdoors, a story before home
Grades 5 to 8
Try an idea. Then try another.
Make the robot turn. Test what the evidence says. Find the courage to ask again. An advisor walks with each student through the years when everything is changing.
- Class size: 15 students, and an advisory group of 10
- Program: Grade 8 robotics and a spring research fair
- The day: Advisory at 8:10, labs after lunch, clubs until 4
Grades 9 to 12
Your voice. A point of view.
Read closely, listen generously, and learn to defend an idea. Students build the confidence to think for themselves and add something to a larger conversation.
- Class size: 12 students around one seminar table
- Program: A senior thesis, defended in public
- The day: Seminars in the morning, open afternoons for study and sport
Meet the academy leadership.
The people responsible for a thoughtful school day, still in the classroom most weeks.
Alistair Vance
Dean of Academics
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Oversees curriculum standards and department chairs.
Margaret Thorne
Dean of Students
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Directs student wellness and character initiatives.
Daniel Reyes
Chair of Mathematics
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Teaches algebra as a set of good questions, one whiteboard at a time.
The autumn notebook.
Family events, recitals, and fixtures across campus.
Schedule
08
Open classroom morning
Saturday, 9 am, Main Hall. For prospective families.
14
Fall strings recital
Friday, 7 pm, Holt Auditorium.
21
Senior thesis evening
Friday, 6 pm, Library. Open to families.
See a school day for yourself.
Walk the grounds, visit a classroom, and bring your questions.