Our Campus

Aerial shot of 15-acre campus set amongst lush trees.

Set on a sprawling 15-acre parcel of lush, wooded land, our campus was established with one thing in mind: Create an intentional space that fosters children's love of learning.

Every classroom is designed with a wall of windows and direct access to the outdoors, reflecting the vital role that nature plays in our day-to-day program. Gathering spaces, a library full of diverse, social-justice-focused children's literature, and integrated classroom technology create a sense of community and enhance learning opportunities. The outdoor spaces include a creek, woods, athletic field, and multiple playgrounds that further promote student learning and development.

Located in a quiet, residential neighborhood in North Bethesda, our students enjoy learning, playing, and growing in a picturesque environment. Convenient access to downtown Washington, DC allows classes to take advantage of unique field trip opportunities to extend classroom learning.

Highlights of our campus include...

Classrooms

Designed to dissolve the barrier between the indoors and nature, our classrooms feature wall-to-wall windows and easy access to the outdoors. Learning opportunities were built into the very structure of the buildings: In many places, mechanicals were left exposed so that students could see and learn about how these systems work in a building.

In fact, children's best interests were incorporated into every aspect of the campus architecture. Rather than one massive building that contains all classrooms, our classrooms are housed within five separate buildings. This architecture means that, instead of walking down long hallways, students have opportunities throughout the school day to stretch their legs and get fresh air when moving from class to class, building to building.

Library

The Green Acres library offers an acclaimed collection of anti-bias books on gender, race, immigration, families, sexual orientation, ethnicity, ability, class, religion, and body image, among other subjects. From picture books, short stories, biographies, and memoirs to novels of many genres and works of narrative and expository nonfiction, the collection provides literature of exceptional merit to support school curricula, diversity programs, and pleasure reading for 3 year olds to teens.

A beautiful sunlit space, the library is open for class instruction, independent and small group work, and relaxed reading every school day. The library's technology corner contains a SmartBoard and PCs. Community members can access Green Acres’ online library resources from school and home. Annually updated suggested-reading lists are available on the website.

The Green Acres librarians collaborate with teachers to integrate information literacy skills and strategies and to inspire lifelong reading and joyful learning throughout the grades.

The Center

The Center is home to our athletics, creative movement, and arts departments. On the upper level, two large art rooms provide ample space for students to create with paint, charcoal, clay, and myriad other mediums. On the lower level, the gym offers space for students to build stamina, develop confidence, and hone teamwork skills while playing physical games and sports. During special events, such as the all-school Thanksgiving lunch and 8th grade graduation, the gym is transformed into a town hall where community members congregate. The gym also features a stage, which is used as a platform (literally!) for drama and music students to perform plays and concerts.

Playgrounds

Shot of the Farmall tractor play structure on campus

The Green Acres campus is home to several playground spaces, all of which have been thoughtfully designed for children and their physical development. There are places for students to climb, dig, swing, slide, and pretend; the opportunities for fun and play are endless. Notable playground structures include the Mary Veronica ship, the Castle playground, the spiderweb, the Tarzan swings, and the Farmall tractor—just to name a few!

The Woods

The woods on our campus, which also house a creek, are a natural laboratory for our children. From Pre-K on, children study the ecology of our environment, learning to look carefully and to understand what they see. Students often identify intriguing objects of study in the woods—mushrooms, moss, Cicada holes (only once every 17 years!), and rocks and minerals, for example—which provide natural pathways to further investigations.

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