Oakwood School expansion nearly complete
After undergoing a major renovation and expansion, the Oakwood School in Annandale will be able to serve more students.
The private school, at 7210 Braddock Road, focuses on specialized instructional methods for students with learning disabilities who struggled in their previous school.
The expansion project is about 95 percent complete, says Head of School Lane McIntyre.
Oakwood serves students in grades 1-8. There are about 12 students per class with two full-time teachers.
The school currently enrolls 105 students; the expansion could increase enrollment up to 135. Students come from all over the D.C. region; one comes every day from Warrenton.
Most students have dyslexia. “Their brains are wired differently,” McIntyre. “They tend to be bright and have incredible potential.”
“We do things differently,” he says. Teachers help students understand how their brain functions, “so they can articulate what they need to be successful.”
“We help them feel good about themselves,” McIntyre says. “We prepare them to be advocates for themselves when they leave Oakwood.”
The school also offers speech and occupational therapy.
Related story: Oakwood School plans an expansion
McIntyre’s parents founded the school in 1971. His father, who passed away last June, had previously been head of school at Congressional School. His mother was an early childhood educator.
They saw a lot of students who weren’t living up to their potential so they came up with the idea to start a school for students who weren’t succeeding in a traditional setting.
The school moved into its current building, a former church, in 1981. Some of the original wooden beams from the sanctuary grace a hallway.
The $10 million renovation and expansion project added small breakout rooms throughout the building to give students individual attention.
Other improvements include low-energy Bios lighting, which promotes better health and well-being, stand-up desks and rocking chairs for restless students with ADHD, and sound-absorbing insulation in the walls, ceilings, and floors to reduce distractions.
Tuition is $43,000 a year. Most parents pay in full. Oakwood provides tuition assistance to about 20 percent of the students. To cover the costs, the school does a lot of fundraising, It’s hosting a big gala and auction on March 25.
A very special place with talented and devoted experts in the education of very bright kids that learn in a different manner.
My bright 8 yr grade is boy arrived defeated, depressed and down on himself. In four years time he realized how bright he is and a renewed sense of confidence he had lost at age 6.
Miracles happen every single day at Oakwood! Thank You angels among us.🙏♥️
What a great resource for our area, taking children and building them into bright, successful citizens who can contribute to society! It says a lot that 80% of parents are willing to pay more than $40,000 a year for tuition. I hope their fundraiser is wildly successful to allow more lower income families’ students to attend.
This is really nice. Could someone please tell me what happens after 8th grade? Do they go to traditional school, or is there a high school version of your school.
Many students move back to public school while others continue on to private high schools. There currently is no high school at Oakwood.