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Madeira is a girls’ boarding and day school, grades 9-12, located 12 miles outside of Washington, D.C. in McLean, Virginia. Designed for girls who are bright, curious, and independent, Madeira is committed to providing an exemplary college preparatory education with a global emphasis and a unique Co-Curriculum program offering off-campus internship opportunities for every student.

Our mix of three hundred twenty girls from twenty-seven states and sixteen countries enhances our community and expands our curriculum. Day girls benefit from friends from all over the world, planned weekend events, breakfast, lunch and dinner any day, and labs and libraries open on weekends. Boarders get a local network of friends and their families, with all the riches of a world capital, and a chance to become ever more self-reliant. Every Madeira girl learns in a residential community of shared values, genuine friendships, rules, and high expectations. In classrooms, dorms, and in the dining room, the conversation is cosmopolitan, the discussion diverse. What Madeira girls have in common is curiosity, energy, integrity, and acceptance.

Our Mission

The mission of the Madeira School was clearly envisioned by founder Lucy Madeira in 1906. She believed that it was both our duty and our privilege to help young women to understand their changing world and to have the confidence to live lives that are of their own making, their own passions, their own dreams.

At the Madeira School, we believe that the most effective and ethical leaders for tomorrow, whether academic, artistic, athletic, political, social, or professional, will be those possessing a clear sense of self, of community, and the world, as well as a strong commitment to lifelong learning and social service.

In our commitment to the mission of Lucy Madeira, we strive to empower and encourage the Madeira student to explore her interests, develop her abilities, act with self-confidence and compassion, and assume responsibility for her actions in the global community.

Academics & Co-Curriculum

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 and traditional material on their journeys toward becoming ethical and curious young women. Madeira is committed to providing an exemplary education with a global emphasis and a unique Co-Curriculum of off-campus internship opportunities.

Our 48 classrooms are housed principally in three spaces:  Schoolhouse I, a traditional classroom building, the science building which includes fully equipped research and photo labs, and the newly renovated Schoolhouse II, which features and expanded Academic Skills Center and a 100-seat theatre –style classroom. 

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.  Nine 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 the Co-Curriculum staff, in a variety of settings.

Technology

Integrating technology into our community provides us with vital learning and teaching tools, both inside and outside the classroom.  The technology supports, enhances, and expands the educational goals already established by the Madeira community. The entire campus operates on a fiber-optic-based computer network, with a broad complement of services designed to facilitate communications and information gathering, including campus-wide wireless Internet service. There are more than seventy-five networked PC and Macintosh computers on campus accessible to all students.

Arts

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.  Students may enroll in classes that offer an introductory arts experience as well as classes that offer advanced practice of a particular artistic medium.  Area professionals give instruction for all arts classes.

The Art Building/Studio has facilities for painting, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics.  Performing arts courses are held in the Chapel/Auditorium building, which features a 590-seat theater, a professional lighting and scene shop, voice and instrument practice rooms, rehearsal space, a costume room, our art gallery, and one of our two dance studios.

Athletics & Riding Program

As a member of the Independent School League, which consists of seventeen schools in the metropolitan D.C. area, Madeira has over 225 girls (75 percent of the student body) competing on twenty teams (including soccer, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, squash, etc.) each year. Madeira’s athletic program strives to provide an atmosphere that encourages individual and team success, personal and group pride, and skill development for each player. The ultimate goal is for each athlete to achieve her personal best and gain self-confidence and overall wellness by developing her skills in the area of physical fitness.

Physical education classes and indoor sports, including swimming, take place in the Hurd Sports Center. In addition, our 376 acres along a ridge above the Potomac Gorge basin include three playing fields, an outdoor natural amphitheater, tennis courts, riding trails, an a ropes and outdoor education course.

Over the past seventy years, the riding program has been a popular option offered to girls as part of the athletic curriculum at Madeira. Designed to challenge both the beginner and the experienced rider, the goal of the program is to develop self-assured and disciplined riders capable of participating in a wide range of equestrian activities. Instructors are committed to assisting each rider develop her talents and skills and achieve a sense of individual accomplishment. Facilities include an indoor riding ring; two outdoor rings, bridle trails and a variety of cross-country obstacles.