Barrie School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barrie School |
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| Address | |
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13500 Layhill Road
, 20906
United States
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| Coordinates | 39°04′40″N 77°02′56″W / 39.0778674°N 77.0490025°W |
| Information | |
| Funding type | Private |
| Established | 1932 |
| Founder | Frances Littman Seldin |
| CEEB code | 210951 |
| Chairperson | Janet Rutledge |
| Head of school | Jon Kidder |
| Faculty | 43.3 FTE |
| Grades | 12 months through Grade 12 |
| Number of students | 313 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 6.1 |
| Hours in school day | 7.5 |
| Campus size | 45 acres (180,000 m2) |
| Color(s) | Blue and gold |
| Team name | Bulldogs |
Barrie School is a special private school for students from 12 months old all the way up to Grade 12. It's located near Washington, D.C. in Montgomery County, Maryland. The school is known for its unique teaching style.
Barrie School has three main parts, all on the same big campus. The Lower School is for younger kids, from babies to fifth graders. It uses the Montessori way of teaching, which helps kids learn by exploring and doing things themselves. The Middle and Upper Schools (for older students) use a project-based learning style. This means students learn by working on exciting projects.
The school campus is quite large, about 45 acres! It has several buildings, a swimming pool, and two ponds. Barrie School used to have a horse riding program, but it closed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The horses and ponies found new homes.
Contents
Barrie School's Story
Starting in Washington, D.C.
Barrie School began a long time ago in 1932. It was started by a woman named Frances Littman Seldin. Back then, it was just a preschool called the Peter Pan School. It was located in the Mount Pleasant area of Washington, D.C.. Mrs. Seldin was a smart lady who went to Columbia University.
Moving to Takoma
In 1939, the school moved to a new, bigger location in the Takoma neighborhood of D.C. This new campus was about 17 acres. When the school started adding classes for older students, its name changed to Barrie School. This new name honored J. M. Barrie, the famous author who created the Peter Pan story.
Mrs. Seldin wanted Barrie to be a "progressive country day school." This meant it was a school that focused on new ideas and learning in a natural setting. She believed in ideas from famous educators like Maria Montessori. Barrie School was different from other private schools at the time. Mrs. Seldin believed in including students from all backgrounds and offering programs that helped working parents, like year-round classes. Even if the name Montessori wasn't always used, the school's teaching was greatly inspired by Maria Montessori's ideas. This included hands-on learning, mixing different age groups in classes, and students, parents, and teachers working together.
Finding a Home in Maryland
In the 1950s, Mrs. Seldin bought a large 45-acre country property in Montgomery County, Maryland. The school started using this new location in 1958. The idea was to keep teaching in a natural environment. Barrie Camp, a summer camp, also moved to this property. By 1976, the old D.C. campus closed, and all the remaining classes moved to the Layhill Road property in Maryland. There was room for 265 students there.
The high school part of Barrie School (Grades 9–12) closed for a few years, from 1974 to 1982. This happened because of some challenges, including needing to sell the old D.C. campus.
The high school reopened in 1982, just in time for Barrie School's 50th birthday! The Upper School moved into a different building nearby at first. That same year, Barrie's Upper School became the first high school in the United States to be officially recognized by the American Montessori Society as a Montessori High School. Also, the Barrie Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies started offering special training for teachers who wanted to teach older students using the Montessori method.
Finally, in 1991, new buildings were finished on the Layhill Road campus. This brought all the students – from the youngest to the oldest – together on one campus again.
Learning to Be a Montessori Teacher
In 1980, the Barrie Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies was created. It's located right on the Barrie School campus. This institute offers special programs for adults who want to become Montessori teachers. People from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, and South Korea, have come to train here.
Famous Former Students
- William C. Smith Jr.: He is a Maryland Senate Officer.
