Discovery School

Education can change a community.

Discovery School was founded nearly 50 years ago to

imagine education differently. 

Authentic texts and primary sources. Constructivist learning in a supportive community. Personalized approaches to assessment. Nature, science, and stewardship to the outdoors. Hands-on approaches to math going deeper for understanding. Student and teacher voice, choice, and ownership. Service to our school, community, and the broader world now and as lifelong learners.

We believe in doing the basics well, and then using them as a springboard for interdisciplinary learning that takes action! Founded on July 4, 1975, Discovery School began as a place to reimagine what education in Richland County could look like for curious, engaged students and their families. We strive to be an excellent steward of funds where every dollar counts. We believe in caring for the whole child. With an annual budget of around one million dollars, we maintain our facilities with two buildings and hold classes and educational programming for our 150 students eleven months of the year. 

Our mission is to provide each child the educational opportunity to discover, with perseverance and imagination, the joy of learning and the interconnectedness of our world.

Our vision is to bring inspiration & innovation to children through a dynamic educational experience; one where learners ask questions, develop academic skills in creative ways, and are active & responsible citizens of the world. Our distinctive offerings include the International Baccalaureate curriculum, an outdoor environmental education program where our students explore our 40 acres of woods, three specials classes each day, social-emotional education woven throughout the day, strong community partnerships with organizations like CACY, the YMCA, the Art Center, and others, and on average 90 minutes each day spent outside. We align with and strive to exceed all Ohio State Standards and the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme framework guidelines.

We are able to grow our standards for academic excellence while offering these unmatched educational opportunities in and outside of the classroom because of generous philanthropic support from our community. Along with tuition, we rely on annual giving, our endowment fund, fundraising and events, and grants to offer our unique and top-tier learning experiences. Your support is integral to the work we do at Discovery as an investment in our learners and our community's future.

While we teach and support our community's future leaders every day, we also strive to be a bigger part of Richland County. As a part of our Take Action ideals, our students take their Unit of Inquiry ideas and turn them into a plan that betters the school or the community. In the past, our students have created and lead projects to support Wayfinders, Inc., the Humane Society, the Domestic Violence shelter, People Helping People, and the Earth Stewardship Celebration. We strive to show our students how the world works and how to support others across Richland County. 

We partner with a range of community organizations, including: CACY - Community Action for Capable Youth - to teach a two-month long series of lessons in problem solving and social emotional wellness and the YMCA with their Y on the Fly program to teach 5-week sessions in physical education to each grade level. These are on top of our in-school events like family literacy and math nights, our Annual Intercultural Fair, Veteran's Day assembly, Early Learning Center Fall Festival, Trunk or Treat, Spring Evening for the Arts, Winter Concerts, and more.

Our goal is to offer the best value in education for our family's tuition dollars, and we take that goal very seriously! In allowing our students to be curious, explore, test their limits, and learn deeply, we rely on a combination of tuition, annual giving, and fundraising efforts to meet our annual budget. Since our inception, financial gifts from generous donors in the community have been essential to the operation of Discovery School. We appreciate your support and look forward to continue to serve our students. families, and the community by teaching future leaders and continuing to reimagine education. $25 will support a student's Genius Hour project, or adds a requested new library bound book to our school library. $50 adds a new coding kit to our STEM lab, or an entire school supply kit for a student. $100 funds a themed unit library of authentic texts aligned with the Science of Reading to a classroom, new PE supplies, or new creative play materials for our Early Learning center. $500 provides a new instrument in music, a class set of language arts student materials, or a school wide refresh of paints, markers, clay, brushes and more in our visual arts studio. 

Thank you for considering a gift to Discovery School to help keep the curiosity, fun, and learning growing!