Alcuin School

Alcuin School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational day school in Dallas, Texas. With Montessori and International Baccalaureate programs, it serves students from 18-months-old through the 12th grade. Alcuin is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, recognized by the Association Montessori Internationale, and is an IB World School.

Alcuin School
Address
6144 Churchill Way

Dallas
,
Texas
75230

United States
Coordinates32°51′03″N 96°51′36″W
Information
TypePrivate, day, college-prep
MottoInnovative Thinkers. Passionate Learners.
Established1964
HeadmasterWalter Sorensen
Faculty140
GradesPre K–12
Number of students575
Campus12 acres (4.9 ha)
Athletics conferenceTexas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Texas Association of Private Schools (TAPS) Metro Athletic League (MAL)
MascotHawk
Tuition$17,379-$32,573
Websitealcuinschool.org

History

Alcuin School is one of the oldest and largest Montessori schools in North America. In 1964, Episcopal priest Albert A. Taliaferro founded the non-sectarian Montessori School of Dallas.[1] In subsequent years the school’s name would change to St. Alcuin Montessori School and then Alcuin School. Though a handful of Montessori schools had opened in the United States in the wake of early publicity of Maria Montessori’s educational methods in the 1910s, the movement soon fizzled, and by 1920 there were virtually no Montessori schools left in the country.[2] Alcuin’s predecessor school was opened during a second wave of enthusiasm for Montessori education in the U.S., which hit in the early 1960s, spurred by the advocacy of Nancy McCormick Rambusch, an American educator who received her Montessori training in London.[3]

Originally occupying part of a two-story house in the Highland Park neighborhood, the Montessori School of Dallas served 68 students between the ages of two and five. After its first year, the school purchased two acres in what was then far North Dallas on Noel Road at Montford, where it was located for nearly twenty years.[1]

Enrollment steadily increased, and in 1983 the school –now with more than 200 students and a staff of over 20– moved to the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas. In 2005, Alcuin acquired adjoining property previously occupied by the Akiba Academy, giving the school a 12-acre campus.[4]

In 2013, Alcuin School decided to open an Upper School, offering an International Baccalaureate curriculum for middle-school and high-school students.[5] The Upper School and its IB program began to be phased in the 2014-2015 academic year. The first class graduating high school from Alcuin was the class of 2018.[6]

The decision to open an Upper School required expansion and renovation of the campus and its facilities, which initially raised concerns among some of the school’s residential neighbors.[4] The concerns were resolved, and in 2015, Alcuin School’s zoning request to allow expansion and renovations was approved by the Dallas City Council.[7]

Changes include a new West Campus Building, which will include the Upper School, a new Performance Hall and administration offices and a new World Language and Fine Arts Building. Indoor and outdoor learning spaces, including a garden and a creek that runs through the campus, have also been renovated to enhance educational opportunities.[8]

Montessori and IB academics

Alcuin School is distinguished by providing both Montessori and IB programs to its students. Fewer than 10 schools in the world currently offer this combination of curricula.[9]

Though there are no regulations attached to the use of the term “Montessori” for schools in the United States,[10] Alcuin School adheres closely to the original philosophy of the movement’s founder.[11] Alcuin is recognized by Association Montessori Internationale, the accrediting body founded by Maria Montessori in 1929 and most closely associated with maintaining her original philosophy and methods.[3] Though there are an estimated 6,000 Montessori schools in the United States,[12] there are fewer than 220 recognized by the AMI, with 20 of them in Texas and five in Dallas.[13]

Alcuin is one of three private schools in Texas offering both the IB Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programme.[14] IB programs are internationally recognized, rigorous academic curricula that according to IBO.org are designed to “develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills needed to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.”[15] Alcuin School has been recognized by Newsweek as one of the best IB schools in the USA.[9] Alcuin students follow the IB Middle Years Program from their 6th to the 10th grade levels, and the IB Diploma Programme in their 11th and 12th grade levels.

Campus facilities

The 12-acre Alcuin Campus includes green spaces, outdoor learning areas and athletic fields, as well as facilities such as the Innovation Studio – a high-tech learning environment equipped with tools such as 3-D printers – and the Underhill Library, which holds 28,000 books as well as digital resources. Another resource is the Wyly Performing Arts Center.[8]

Athletics and extra-curricular activities

Beginning in 5th grade, Alcuin School teams compete in the Metro Athletic League, shifting in 7th and 8th grades to the Texas Association of Private Schools league, and on to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools in grades 9 through 12. Sports include track and field, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and tennis.[16] An After School Activities program includes theatre arts, languages, chess, arts and crafts and clay animation.[17]

References
  1. "Alcuin School | Our History | Alcuin School | Best Private Schools in Dallas". www.alcuinschool.org. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  2. Keith Whitescarver, “Montessori in America: The First 100 Years,” July – September 2010, Montessori International, p. 18
  3. Gerald L. Gutek and Patricia A. Gutek, Bringing Montessori to America: S.S. McClure, Maria Montessori and the Campaign to Publicize Montessori Education, The University of Alabama Press, 2016, Chapter 9, p. 210.
  4. "Residents near Alcuin School voice concern over rezoning request, expansion plans". Dallas News. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  5. "Evolving a Campus". Preston Hollow People. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  6. “Innovative Thinkers. Passionate Learners,” IB and Upper School Brochure, Alcuin School, 2016.
  7. "Dallas City Council Unanimously Approves Alcuin School's Zoning Request". Park Cities BubbleLife The Online Home of the Park Cities. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  8. "Alcuin School | Campus Master Plan | Alcuin School | Best Private Schools in Dallas". www.alcuinschool.org. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  9. "The Best IB Accredited Schools 2016 in the USA". Newsweek. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  10. Keith Whitescarver, “Montessori in America: The First 100 Years,” July – September 2010, Montessori International, p. 19.
  11. "EDUCATION A PRESCHOOL SAMPLER". Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  12. Gerald L. Gutek and Patricia A. Gutek, Bringing Montessori to America: S.S. McClure, Maria Montessori and the Campaign to Publicize Montessori Education, The University of Alabama Press, 2016, Chapter 9, p. 211.
  13. "School Locator | AMI USA". AMI USA. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  14. "Find an IB World School". International Baccalaureate®. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  15. "About the IB". International Baccalaureate®. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  16. "Alcuin School | Athletics | Alcuin School | Best Private Schools in Dallas". www.alcuinschool.org. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  17. "Alcuin School | After School Activities | Alcuin School | Best Private Schools in Dallas". www.alcuinschool.org. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
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