Our Mission:
Ambleside School seeks to bring students to the truths of Christ as they exist in the created world, in a highly relational atmosphere, through a rich and rigorous curriculum, where students are free to learn and inspired to grow.
Our Story:
Ambleside School of Fredericksburg is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian school based on the philosophy of Charlotte Mason (1842-1923). Ambleside offers a unique, beautiful, living education. It is a movement that is redefining education by:
- Providing a broad and varied curriculum
- Cultivating moral and academic habits
- Valuing right relationships with God, self, others and creation
- Training teachers and parents from around the world in the Ambleside method and philosophy
- Supporting all students, including those with cognitive weaknesses - both in the classroom and through a cognitive strengthening program called Arrowsmith
Children who receive a living education grow in relationship with the knowledge of God, man, and the universe. They become persons who give back to society, care for their kin, love their neighbors, and cultivate a rich intellectual life. Ambleside’s approach to education is founded in a unique and well-defined philosophy, curriculum and methods to nurture intellectual curiosity and a love of learning, promote life-giving moral habits, and help children properly relate to self and others.
Charlotte Mason wrote, “Our aim in education is to give a full life… We owe it to [children] to initiate an immense number of interests. ‘Thou has set my feet in a large room,’ should be the cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking...but all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest.” In this spirit, Ambleside students learn to be keen observers of the created world and instructed not only in the ‘what’ but also the ‘how’ and the ‘why’. Students practice habits that help them be their best selves and encourage a fruitful life. Ambleside is focused on true growth, measuring milestones beyond passing the test and making the grade. This is our passion at Ambleside.
Our Impact:
Ambleside enrolls approximately 100 students annually in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Since opening its doors in 1999, Ambleside has achieved consistent enrollment of students with economic diversity. As a school and community it is committed to making its education available to all who desire it, each year providing financial assistance for over 25% of its student body.
Ambleside employs thirteen full-time and fourteen part-time educators and administrative staff. In addition six teachers, coaches and athletic directors do so on a volunteer basis. Ambleside has a strong spirit of volunteerism, receiving goods and services from over 100 active volunteers and 2,500 volunteer hours annually.
In addition to providing children coming from Gillespie, Kerr, and Kendall counties with a robust education, Ambleside is also a flagship school. With Fredericksburg serving as a model, there are now over 20 Ambleside Schools founded throughout the US and internationally. In collaboration with the efforts of Ambleside Schools International (ASI), Ambleside School of Fredericksburg hosts on-site training for teachers and parents from all over the world in the practice of a Charlotte Mason education. In eighteen years, over 2,000 teachers and home educators have been trained on site at Ambleside School of Fredericksburg, partnering to provide continuing education, technical assistance and peer sharing. Ambleside’s ideas and philosophies inspire educators around the world who seek tools for providing the best education possible. Ambleside is making a difference.
Your Impact:
By making a donation to Ambleside, you are joining us in seeing children differently. Thank you for your generous gift! The funds raised go directly to student scholarships, Arrowsmith sponsorships, general expenses, athletic equipment, campus development projects, and more!
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