Families throughout Northern Virginia are fortunate to have hundreds of educational options, including some of the best public schools and private schools in the Washington metropolitan area. Yet after 40 years in education, I believe the most important question is not simply, “Which school is best?” The more meaningful question is, “Which school is best for my child?”
Our world is changing at an extraordinary pace, but many schools continue to rely on large classes, high student-to-teacher ratios, and educational approaches that have changed very little over the decades. Children deserve an education designed not only for the world as it exists today, but also for the future they will inherit.
At The Nysmith School in Herndon, Virginia, our mission is “To Make a World-Class Education a Joy-Filled Experience.” That mission is much more than a slogan. It guides the way we structure our classes, design our curriculum, support our teachers, challenge our students, and nurture each child.
Nysmith was named the 2026 Top Private School in the United States by Education Insider Magazine. In 2016, Nysmith was also recognized as one of the Top 10 Schools in the World by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. We are deeply honored by these recognitions, but what matters most to us is what happens in our classrooms every day: children feeling known, supported, appropriately challenged, and excited to learn.
Here are 10 reasons families from across Northern Virginia choose Nysmith for their children’s education.
A school can have an impressive curriculum, beautiful facilities, and the latest technology, but none of those things can replace the nurturing and inspiring relationship between a child and a caring teacher. Nysmith maintains a low 1:9 student-to-teacher ratio, with two teachers and no more than 18 students in a classroom.
This gives our teachers the time to understand how each child learns, recognize individual strengths, identify areas that may need support, and provide meaningful encouragement throughout the day. In a larger classroom, even the most talented teacher must divide limited time among many students. In a small class, teachers can notice when a child is ready for a greater challenge, needs a concept explained differently, or simply requires reassurance.
Children at Nysmith are not treated as numbers or expected to progress at exactly the same pace. They are known, supported, challenged, and appreciated as individuals.
Having two teachers in every classroom fundamentally changes what is possible in a classroom. One teacher can introduce a concept while providing assistance and support as the other students are responding. Teachers divide students into smaller instructional groups, provide immediate support, and offer additional challenges without leaving other children waiting.
This structure also allows our teachers to respond to the many teaching moments that occur naturally during the school day. If a child is struggling with a concept, is ready for more challenge, or experiencing a social challenge, there is an adult available to help. That kind of personal attention is impossible to duplicate in a classroom with one teacher and a large number of students.
For parents looking for a private elementary school or private middle school in Northern Virginia with small classes and individualized attention, our two-teacher model is one of Nysmith’s most meaningful differences.
“Besides having small class sizes, we have found that the difference has been the dedicated teachers - they take the time to really know your child. The teachers are phenomenal - whether it be a core subject or an elective course, our kids come home eager to share what they have learned and are genuinely excited to go to school each day.” - Parent, March 12, 2026
Children do not all learn the same way or at the same pace. A student may be far ahead in mathematics, working on grade level in reading, and have an entirely different level of readiness in another subject. At Nysmith, we work to meet children where they are academically, socially, and organizationally, rather than requiring every child of the same age to receive exactly the same level of instruction.
In both reading and mathematics, Nysmith can provide students with material offering up to four grade levels of additional challenge when it is appropriate for the individual child. This is not about racing through a curriculum, it is about eliminating boredom and wasted time.
Our goal is simply to avoid boredom and keep children engaged. When work is too easy, children lose interest, stop putting forth effort, and begin to believe that learning is boring and meaningless. When the challenge is appropriate, children remain curious, develop strong work habits, and experience the satisfaction of mastering meaningful content.
We want children to enjoy learning. Providing the right level of challenge helps them remain excited, confident, and intellectually curious.
Differentiated learning is more than offering advanced material. It means recognizing that every child has a unique learning profile and adjusting instruction accordingly.
Our teachers consider each student’s readiness, strengths, pace, and learning style. A child who quickly understands a concept can move into greater depth or complexity, while another child receives additional explanation and practice without feeling rushed. The objective is not to label children. It is to give them the instruction they need to grow.
After 40 years in education, I have seen what happens when children receive work that is meaningful, attainable, and appropriately challenging. They begin to see themselves as capable learners. They become more willing to ask thoughtful questions, take intellectual risks, and persevere when something is difficult.
For families searching for a gifted school, advanced academics, or individualized K–8 education in Fairfax County, this approach can make a profound difference.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are not occasional enrichment activities at Nysmith. They are essential parts of our students’ daily educational experience.
Children participate in daily technology classes and hands-on science instruction, giving them frequent opportunities to experiment, design, build, analyze, and solve problems. Meaningful STEM education is not about memorizing scientific vocabulary or learning how to operate a particular device. It is about developing curiosity and teaching children how to approach unfamiliar challenges.
When students test an idea, discover it does not work, make adjustments, and try again, they learn far more than a single academic concept. They are developing creativity, resilience, flexible thinking, and confidence.
These abilities will become increasingly important as artificial intelligence and other technologies continue to reshape our world. Our goal is to prepare children not merely to survive in the future, but to help create it.
For generations, schools placed enormous emphasis on memorizing and recalling facts. Knowledge remains important, but artificial intelligence can now provide enormous amounts of information almost instantaneously. The greater challenge for today’s children will be knowing which questions to ask, how to evaluate the answers, and how to use information thoughtfully, ethically, and creatively.
Children need to think critically, solve unfamiliar problems, communicate their ideas, and collaborate with others. They must learn to distinguish reliable information from misinformation and apply knowledge in new situations.
At Nysmith, we want students to understand the reasoning behind an answer, not merely memorize it for a test. We encourage them to ask questions, explore alternatives, explain their thinking, learn from mistakes, and approach difficult problems with confidence.
The future will belong to people who can combine knowledge with creativity, judgment, empathy, and leadership.
A strong education must be broader than a narrow focus on test scores. Nysmith students benefit from a rich curriculum that includes mathematics, language arts, hands-on science, daily technology, social studies, daily foreign language, music, physical education, and social-emotional learning.
Those moments matter. Success builds confidence, and confidence encourages children to embrace and look forward to new challenges. We do not want to fill children with information and simply ask them to repeat it. We want to awaken their curiosity and help them discover the excitement of learning.
Academic knowledge alone will not prepare children for the lives they will lead. They must also learn how to communicate, collaborate, manage frustration, resolve disagreements, demonstrate empathy, recover from disappointment, and lead with kindness.
Nysmith provides a dedicated social-emotional learning curriculum designed to nurture these abilities. Just as importantly, our low student-to-teacher ratio gives teachers time to reinforce those teaching moments during natural teaching moments throughout the school day.
A disagreement between classmates can become an opportunity to practice listening and compromise. A disappointing result can become a lesson in resilience. A group project can teach responsibility, patience, collaboration, and respect for different perspectives.
We want children to develop happiness within themselves and healthy relationships with others. We want them to face change with optimism rather than fear and to believe they can make a positive difference in the world.
Some people mistakenly believe that a rigorous education must be stressful. After four decades of working with children, I believe the opposite. Children learn more when they feel safe, supported, curious, and excited to come to school.
When children enjoy school, they participate more fully, ask better questions, build stronger relationships, and become more willing to take intellectual risks. They begin to view learning not as something being done to them, but as something they genuinely want to pursue.
Academic excellence and happiness are not competing goals. When education is designed thoughtfully, they reinforce one another.
“We’ve had a wonderful experience at Nysmith so far. Our son is thriving both academically and emotionally, and it’s clear that the school takes a thoughtful and balanced approach to gifted education. The curriculum is advanced yet approachable, and the teachers are not only highly skilled but also genuinely caring—they focus on the whole child, not just test scores.” - Parent, May 04, 2025
We are proud that Nysmith was named the 2026 Top Private School in the United States by Education Insider Magazine. We are equally proud that the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth recognized Nysmith as one of the Top 10 Schools in the World in 2016.
These honors reflect our program's quality and the extraordinary work of our teachers, students, and families. However, rankings and awards do not fully capture what makes a school special. They cannot measure the moment a teacher helps a frustrated child regain confidence, a student discovers a new passion, or a child arrives at school genuinely excited for the day ahead.
Nysmith’s greatest strength is the combination of high academic standards and a warm, nurturing community. Children are challenged, but they are also supported. They are encouraged to achieve, but never made to feel that education is a race. They are given opportunities to excel while being reminded that kindness, happiness, integrity, and respect are equally important measures of success.
“Our experience here has been special and our kids have thrived thanks to the exceptional education and the nurturing environment created by the dedicated teachers and staff. As two of our children have transitioned into public high schools, they have been more than prepared for the rigor of AP courses and advanced math and science. What has stood out even more, however, is the feedback from their high school teachers: our children distinguish themselves not only academically, but also in their confidence, self-advocacy, and ease in communicating with teachers—a testament to the foundation they received at Nysmith.” - Parent, September 18, 2025
No one can predict precisely what the world will look like when today’s kindergarten students graduate from college. We can be certain, however, that it will continue to change rapidly. Children will need more than memorized facts. They will need the ability to think critically, solve unfamiliar problems, work effectively with others, communicate clearly, adapt confidently, and persevere with optimism.
For 40 years, I have had the privilege of watching children grow into capable, compassionate, and confident young people. That experience has strengthened my belief that children thrive when teachers genuinely know them, challenge them appropriately, support them socially and emotionally, and let them experience learning as something joyful.
That is what we believe a school can be. It is why families from Herndon, Reston, Fairfax, Loudoun County, Ashburn, Vienna, Great Falls, and communities throughout the Washington metropolitan area choose The Nysmith School for their children’s preschool through eighth-grade education.
If you are exploring private school options in Northern Virginia, I invite you to visit Nysmith, meet our teachers, observe our classrooms, and see what a world-class, joy-filled education can look like for your child.