Boarding / Day High School for Girls in Virginia

The Madeira School, McLean:
The Madeira School is a girls' boarding school and day school, grades 9–12, located 12 miles outside Washington, D.C. in McLean, Fairfax County, northern Virginia. Designed for girls who are bright, curious, and independent, Madeira is committed to providing an exemplary college prepatory school education with summer and community programs as well as a global emphasis and a unique co-curriculum program offering off-campus internship opportunities for every student. The six dormitories at Madeira accommodate about twenty-eight students each. Over half of Madeira's students are boarders, and boarding life forms a vital and vibrant portion of life at Madeira.

Academics:
The Madeira School’s academic program reflects the School’s eternal values, including building lifelong learners, helping girls take risks and find their voices, and exposing girls to both experiential learning and traditional material on their journeys toward becoming ethical and curious young women.

Madeira is committed to providing an exemplary girls' school education with a global emphasis and a unique co-curriculum of off-campus internship opportunities.

Key Subjects include English, science, math, fine arts, history and physical education.

Graduation Requirements
Nineteen academic credits are required to graduate. A minimum of four courses must be taken and passed each semester. Required credits cannot be met by summer school. Twelve trimesters of activity credits, six of which must be in the Physical Education/Sports department, are also required for graduation.

College Preparation Courses and Counseling:
Girls and families are encouraged to work with the college counseling staff at any time throughout high school. All students begin individual counseling in the junior year. The program is designed to assure successful transition from the secondary school experience to a variety of post-secondary options. The college admission process is promoted as a natural consequence of a quality secondary career.

We offer prep courses in PSAT, SAT ans SAT II.

Study Skills
The Skills Center offers a pleasant and technology-rich atmosphere to complete academic work. The Center provides peer tutoring, study groups, and a writing center aimed at promoting strategies for effective study habits, writing, and test-taking skills.

The Arts:
o Performing Arts
o Visual Arts

Now combined in one department, the Visual and Performing Arts programs share a common vision of art education. Instruction in both programs balances acquisition of technical skills with opportunities to show and share artistic expression with the wider community.

Athletics:
At the Madeira School, we believe that interscholastic athletics are part of the total educational experience. We feel that student-athletes are individuals first and foremost, and we will do our best to assist them in growing and developing into independent, strong young women who can succeed at life.

Our most popular sports include basketball, swimming, volleyball and squash.

Co-Curriculum Internship Program:
For more than forty years, Madeira’s award-winning experiential learning program, known as Co-Curriculum, has provided internships for students similar to those offered at colleges and universities. Through internships in business, politics, and social services, the Co-Curriculum program gives students a greater awareness of community and world needs. The experience gained in the internships becomes an extension of the academic program.

Ninth graders participate in projects, field trips, and enrichment classes in support of their academic program. Sophomores volunteer at community-based placements, such as social service agencies, schools or hospitals. Juniors intern on Capitol Hill, and seniors design their own year-long internship, with the guidance of Co-Curriculum staff, in a variety of settings. Successful participation each year is required for graduation from Madeira.

We also provide:
- Global Program with Cultural Trips
- Technology Program
- Summer and Community Programs