Academic Overview

VCS provides children with the tools to become skilled readers and writers, disciplined critical thinkers, creative problem solvers, confident researchers, and respectful collaborators. Our students are encouraged to ask profuse and pertinent questions, to express their opinions and ideas, and to turn to one another—not just the teacher—as valued sources of information and feedback.

We believe classroom education is most effective when students encounter information through resonant, in-depth experiences. From their earliest years at VCS, children participate in hands-on, project-based coursework, as well as direct instruction, repetition, review, and reinforcement.

Beginning with a study of their own communities—their families, classroom, school, and neighborhoods—VCS students gain an understanding of themselves and the world across time and place, peoples, and cultures. As students’ knowledge grows, so too does their appreciation for human diversity and interdependence.

At VCS, all students receive subject-specific instruction from teachers who specialize in their field. Our departmentalized teaching model ensures our educators bring a deep understanding of and infectious enthusiasm for their chosen subject, which inspires their students toward greater mastery.