A Child-Centered, Inquiry-Driven Approach to Academic Learning
Based in the Reggio Emilia philosophy and honoring the legacies of Frederick Douglass and Florida Ruffin Ridley, learning at the Douglass Ridley School is a collaborative and dynamic process that honors the natural curiosities and interests of children. We believe that when students have a voice in their learning, they develop a deep sense of ownership, agency, and joy in discovery.
Our students leave us empowered to make sense of the world—and prepared with all of the skills necessary to make a difference within it.
Meet Our Founder
Founder
Courtney Swartz has spent more than 20 years in urban public education. She started as a classroom teacher, grades 1 through 6, in Washington D.C., Chicago, and Boston, then moved into leadership: Assistant Principal for grades 3-5 at Brooke Charter School,
one of Massachusetts's highest-performing charter networks, Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at UP Academy Holland, and Academic Director at UP Education Network, where she oversaw teaching and learning across multiple K-8 schools.
She's spent two decades inside systems built to close achievement gaps, and she's seen exactly where those systems still fail the kids who need them most. Now a parent of two young children, she founded The Douglass Ridley School to build something different: a place where kids are known, not managed, and where curiosity drives the learning instead of a pacing guide.
