History

Our vision began in 1950, when Marian Howard, a young teacher and graduate of Agnes Scott College, poured her life savings into starting her own school. She saw the potential in students whose motivation to learn was diminished as they faced constant failure and challenge. She knew that teaching and learning could go beyond rote memorization and recitation of disjointed facts. She wanted to open a door.

Since then, thousands of students — the legacy of her leadership and learning — have passed through the doors of The Howard School out into a world they’ve helped to create. And for more than half a century, those students, inspired by the school’s original progressive vision and its history of innovation, have offered tangible proof of our success.

Guided by the light of Marian Howard, we do not recognize boundaries. Nor labels. Nor diminished expectations.