The Holton-Arms School | |
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Location | |
Bethesda, Maryland USA |
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Coordinates | 38°59′30″N 77°8′53″W / 38.99167°N 77.14806°WCoordinates: 38°59′30″N 77°8′53″W / 38.99167°N 77.14806°W |
Information | |
Type | Private, College-prep |
Motto |
Inveniam viam aut faciam ("I will find a way or make one.") |
Religious affiliation(s) | Non-sectarian |
Established | 1901 |
Head of School | Susanna A. Jones |
Gender | Girls |
Enrollment | 655 total |
Student to teacher ratio | 7:1 |
Campus | Suburban, 57 acres (23 ha) |
Color(s) | Blue and White |
Athletics | 15 Varsity Sports |
Athletics conference | ISL |
Mascot | Panther |
Website | www.holton-arms.edu |
Holton-Arms is an independent college-preparatory school for girls in grades 3–12, located in Bethesda, Maryland. As of the 2013-14 school year, there were 655 students and 94 faculty. Since 2007, Susanna Jones has been Head of School.
The school has three divisions, Lower School (grades 3–6), Middle School (7–8), and Upper School (9–12). Tuition for 2015-16 is $37,000 for grades 3-6 and $38,700 for grades 7-12. In 2014-2015, the financial aid budget was $3,848,814.00. Approximately 25 percent of students receive financial assistance.
In 1901, Jessie Moon Holton and Carolyn Hough Arms founded Holton-Arms School. The school was located at 2125 S Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Holton-Arms moved to Bethesda in 1963. Located on 57 acres (230,000 m2) of rolling woodlands just off River Road, the campus has seven buildings. Its facilities include a science wing and lecture hall, two libraries, a performing arts center with a 400-seat theater and new black box theater, art and ceramic studios (with a kiln) and photo lab, three dance studios, a double gymnasium, an indoor competition-size pool, a weight and training room, and dining room renovated in 2012. Outdoor facilities include seven tennis courts, an eight-lane all-weather track, and three athletic fields, including a synthetic turf field.
The School's mission is to cultivate the unique potential of young women through the “education not only of the mind, but of the soul and spirit.” (Jessie Moon Holton, 1866–1951). The School’s motto is Inveniam viam aut faciam—I will find a way or make one.
Honors programs, as well as more electives, become available to students in Upper School (9th Grade). In 9th grade, Math Honors is provided to them, as well as Physics Honors. Entrance into both honors class is only given with departmental permission. In 10th grade, Math honors is again an option, as well as Chemistry Honors and History Honors, commonly known as Core I. Core I is part of a two-year intensive history program, finishing at the completion of junior (11th) year.
Holton offers a wide variety of AP courses, including art history, psychology, Spanish, Chinese, biology and calculus. As graduation requirements, Holton students must have received four credits (four years) of Upper School English, three credits in one foreign language, three math credits, including Geometry and Trigonometry, three credits in history and the social sciences, and three science credits, including biology.
Some rising seniors go on Global Education trips, journeys of 15 to 18 days to China, India, or Peru.
The School offers extensive programs in both the fine and performing arts. Students begin playing an instrument in the third grade and maintain this practice throughout lower school. Middle and Upper School students may choose from a variety of art classes including chorus, Chamber Singers, swing choir, orchestra, chamber orchestra, jazz band, music theory, painting, ceramics, photography, music technology, theater technology, dance, and drama. The Upper School Chorus, the largest single class in the school, performs annually at the Washington National Cathedral in the Independent School Choral Festival with other schools from the Washington area.