University School of Nashville, TN

University School of Nashville is a K-12, independent, co-educational, non-sectarian day school established in 1975 as the successor to Peabody Demonstration School. Its enrollment is 1,022; 27% are students of color, and 17% are students from international families, representing 45 countries.

Our location sets us apart: the main campus sits in the midtown university neighborhood of Nashville, making us accessible to families from all parts of Nashville and middle Tennessee.  The 85-acre River Campus offers additional athletic space and outdoor science labs. USN’s Hassenfeld Library has a constantly growing 26,000 volume print collection, 25 PCs and a  wireless network for patrons use. The 20,000 square-foot library gives students spaces to learn, study, engage in group work, or just relax and read.

At the core of a USN education, students and their families find challenge, critical thinking, self-expression, and an appreciation of difference in a school community that cherishes the strong bond between a student and teacher.  Teaching and learning come first.  Our students and faculty can count on being asked for their very best and on being encouraged at every step along the way.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion.  Our families represent an inspiring breadth of cultural experience, united in their wish for young people to learn from one another as they come to know themselves. We may find those opportunities in weekly town meetings, on our River Campus playing fields, in vibrant art studios, in lunchtime conversation, or in a neighborhood tutorial program.

We embrace a culture in which there is comfort in noticing and talking about differences, and in recognizing the varied feelings, wishes and experiences present in the human condition.  Empathy, self-control, cooperation, respect, humility, and caring for one another are the main threads of the fabric of who we are, what we hope to instill in our youngest children., and model for all throughout the our community.

The Lower School emphasizes mutual respect and individual responsibility with high expectations for learning in an environment that captures a student’s imagination and stimulates curiosity.  In Middle School, we seek balance in our emphasis of both learning skills and understanding in multiple content areas: subject area content serves as a vehicle through which students develop their capacities to think, read, write, listen, and speak, as well as their abilities to manage their time, materials, and ideas. The High School faculty continues to foster students’ independence and initiative by providing courses which increase students’ facility in abstract, critical reasoning through engagement in complex, non-routine challenges.

Young children come to school with a natural desire to make sense of their world and to find meaning in their learning through opportunities to investigate, inquire, experiment, and exchange ideas. They learn best when activities are purposeful and when there are opportunities for choice in an environment with high expectations.  The Lower School provides a warm, friendly, and invigorating environment where children from kindergarten through fourth grades can learn and grow to be confident and competent learners.

A defining feature of the Middle School program is its grade-level team approach.  Academic faculty teach exclusively on one grade level and serve as an advisor to a group of students in that grade.  The result is a familiarity with and knowledge of the students they have in common, allowing teachers to share their own experience about how each child learns best and allowing students to feel known.  Academic faculty on the same team share a common planning period during which they meet regularly to discuss students’ needs, interdisciplinary curriculum, grade-level business, or to have conferences with parents.

While a high level of academic rigor exists at USN, students are strongly encouraged to identify their areas of non-academic interests and talents and to pursue them within our program and beyond. A wide range of fine arts and athletic options exists for students, as do opportunities to participate in student government, community service, and various clubs.

The High School provides a dynamic college-preparatory curriculum in the tradition of the Liberal Arts, emphasizing breadth and depth of study in a range of disciplines. The academic program promotes both independent and cooperative learning, providing ample opportunities for students to design independent study courses and to pursue advanced study in areas of particular interest and expertise. One fourth of the high school’s academic courses are accelerated and Advanced Placement. In recent years, more than 90% of scores of AP exams have been 3 or above, with 5 (the highest possible) being the most common score at USN.  The High School is informed by a philosophy that puts students at the center of their learning. It’s a dynamic environment where students are challenged to think critically and participate actively in their own education. University School has always been distinguished by its excellent teachers and the close relationship among teachers and students. The unusually creative and dedicated faculty constantly seeks to engage teenagers whenever there is an opportunity to teach and learn: in classrooms, gyms, libraries, and offices.

College Counseling at University School of Nashville is based on the belief that the college counseling process is more than helping students get into college. It is also about assisting students with the development of the skills and insights necessary to make important decisions about their lives and working with them to set realistic goals—both short-term and long range. Through a structured program based on individual needs, we focus on helping students maintain a balanced perspective on the selection process. We want them to realize that rarely is there one and only one right school, but rather several schools at which they can find what they are seeking. Underlying all that USN provides is the strong belief that the student should take responsibility for the search and the application process.
In USN’s graduating class of 2009, 99% of students enrolled in four year colleges.  28% of the Class of 2010 has been recognized in the National Merit competition: 12 were named Semifinalists, 10 were Commended, and 2 were National Achievement Semifinalists.