This New Private School is Changing the Face of Education

Introducing BASIS Independent Bellevue, the latest addition to the BASIS Independent Schools network, set to open fall 2022 and now accepting applications for grades 3–7. The school plans to expand into a full middle and high school over the next few years.  

BASIS Independent Bellevue is grounded in the belief that children today need more than what a standard education offers. And they have a unique approach—perfected and optimized over many years—to ensure their students can achieve their full potential:  

A Global Approach to Education 

The nationally recognized BASIS Curriculum has built its esteemed reputation by blending top educational systems from around the world, infused with the spirit of American ingenuity and invention. It is founded on creativity and innovation powered by traditional academics. The curriculum is designed to inspire students to learn at the highest academic standards with an overarching focus on fostering student achievement that exceeds global benchmarks. 

The program is rooted in both the liberal arts and STEM—featuring world languages, accelerated mathematics, Humanities, fine arts, the sciences, and more. It is successful at teaching this wide breadth of disciplines to students in large part due to its spiraling structure. This means key concepts and skills are “spiraled,” or intentionally developed, from kindergarten through high school, culminating in Advanced Placement® (AP) courses, and beyond. As students progress, the connections they make across subjects enable knowledge building to turn into knowledge application, which creates even greater facility and engagement in learning and mastering new concepts. 

The school’s global lens, combined with this structure of advancing and reinforcing content, encourages students to become active participants, not just spectators, in their education and far beyond.

True Subject Experts Teach Every Course

At BASIS Independent Schools, the best technology in the classroom is the teachers. In the BASIS Curriculum, educators are known as Subject Expert Teachers. They are true experts in their chosen discipline, be it Calculus, Latin, performing arts, engineering, literature, or physics, with real-world experience and/or advanced degrees. 

At each grade level, students have one teacher per class, totaling up to seven different teachers a day. That means BASIS Independent students grow under the mentorship of real mathematicians, historians, musicians, engineers, and more, throughout the school day.

This global best practice expands to a distinctive two-teacher model in grades 3–4. While there is still a different Subject Expert Teacher teaching each core course, these grades also incorporate a Learning Expert Teacher, who is an expert in education and pedagogy, and who remains with the same group of students for every period. This co-teaching model is designed to enable differentiated learning while providing consistency and support for each student.

“BASIS Independent Schools Subject Expert Teachers come from all over the world. They have dynamic backgrounds and deep content knowledge in different disciplines. What unites them is a commitment to academic excellence, and a belief that engaged and active learning in the classroom is the fundamental key to academic growth and success,” said Toby Walker, Vice President, BASIS Independent Schools.

The authenticity and joy BASIS Independent teachers have for what they teach is contagious in their classrooms, and vital to student success. They use this passion to engage students in thinking deeply about the subject at hand, breaking down complex subject matter in a way that helps students truly love learning.

A Focus on the Whole Child 

While the BASIS Curriculum provides the foundation for disciplinary knowledge, the school is equally focused on fueling critical thinking, problem-solving, autonomy, and creativity. At the program’s core lies a joyful learning culture where hard work is celebrated and intellectual pursuits result in extraordinary outcomes. 

At BASIS Independent Bellevue, the curriculum and teachers are just two parts of a larger whole in developing high-performing, self-aware, lifelong learners. The diversity in disciplines and guidance from experts encourages true exploration of subject matter, which also extends to clubs, electives, and extracurriculars. As students discover new interests and pursue their passions, they develop a fascination for critical inquiry, learn to be independent and formulate their own goals, and become well-rounded thinkers. 

Fostering individuality, self-confidence, and resilience from the outset results in students who love learning, mastering new concepts, and excelling in subjects at advanced levels. They thrive when challenged and are encouraged to take risks, even when it means they make mistakes or experience failure. And lastly, this advanced educational approach best prepares students for a brilliant future. 

Get to Know BASIS Independent Bellevue

Join the interest list for more information about the holistic program, teachers, and upcoming events at BASIS Independent Bellevue, or visit their website at bellevue.basisindependent.com to register for a campus tour.