In 1915, Hawken opened its doors on Ansel Road near University Circle, where our first students walked to the art museum each day for lunch. Sitting just 700 yards from that original home, the Mastery School of Hawken is a pure expression of our founding intent: a human, forward-focused education that resists factory-model learning.

We prepare students for an unscripted future by equipping them with skills, knowledge, and habits that endure no matter how the world changes. We are a school for today and tomorrow, built on the wisdom of yesterday.

Most schools still rely on an Industrial Age framework poorly suited to today’s world. The Mastery School offers an alternative grounded in modern cognitive neuroscience.

Research shows learning endures when students feel safe, seen, and supported. By building on student strengths rather than deficits, they become more motivated to tackle areas of growth. Central to this is metacognition, i.e., thinking about how we learn. Because developing this self-awareness takes intentional practice, reflection is woven into every aspect of our program.

Mastery-based education returns to one of the oldest teaching methods: apprenticeship, where trusted adults guide students toward clear standards. Using methodology developed by our Founding Designer and the Korda Institute for Teaching, we’ve built a dynamic learning ecosystem centered on three core experiences:

Together, these experiences cultivate critical thinking, creative problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and citizenship, challenging students not just to navigate the world, but to lead, serve, and thrive in it.