Hawken School is an independent, coed day school of over 1,500 students, toddler through grade 12, located on two campuses in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, a campus on Cleveland’s west side, and a campus in University Circle (see campus descriptions below.) A nationally recognized leader in innovative programming, Hawken prepares students to meet the challenges of tomorrow's world.
Birchwood School of Hawken, Cleveland: Birchwood School merged with Hawken in 2016 to become Birchwood School of Hawken. Serving students from preschool through grade 8, the school was founded in 1984 by a small group of Cleveland parents and educators who aimed to give their own children an unparalleled education. The school has since become an award-winning institution that remains true to its founding mission: to equip children to lead a life of becoming – growing, thriving, and flourishing – through the development of intellect and character. Birchwood functions outside of the traditional grade-level approach to programming, allowing students to engage in academic work that maximizes their cognitive abilities.
Lower and Middle School, Lyndhurst: Hawken’s Lyndhurst campus houses programs for toddlers through eighth graders that reflect the school’s dual commitment to academic and social curricula. Beginning in Early Childhood, students are taught in developmentally appropriate ways to make choices, manage time, think critically and creatively, develop ownership for their learning, and engage others with empathy. Hawken’s Lower School program focuses on building a strong foundation in basic academic skills with an increasing emphasis on personal responsibility. With a focus on hands-on learning and student choice, our Middle School program enables students to be active participants in their education. By exploring science, math, and the humanities using an interdisciplinary and experience-based approach, students dive deeply into subject areas and become immersed in the process of learning and discovery.
Upper School, Gates Mills: Hawken’s Upper School, located in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, is situated on over 300 acres featuring sprawling lawns, wooded trails, both modern and historic buildings, and an athletic complex. Through core courses, elective options, off-campus experiences, and a broad menu of co-curricular activities, the Upper School guides students to embrace the intrinsic value of forward-focused learning - not just the rote attainment of knowledge - by providing continual opportunities for student inquiry, analysis, agency, experimentation, and leadership.
Mastery School, University Circle: The Mastery School takes Hawken’s innovative approaches to education to scale and is built around three overarching concepts: courses and programs organized around real-world problem solving; a mentorship approach to instruction allowing for more project-based and personalized learning; and an assessment model that leads students to learn deeply and persist to mastery. The school’s location is just a short ride from downtown Cleveland and a short walk to arts organizations, universities, and hundreds of non-profit organizations, enabling students to learn from and partner with some of the most engaging and innovative cultural, educational, arts, and medical institutions in the world.
