Guiding neurodiverse students toward academic success and engaged global citizenship through outdoor-based and place-based education

Worldmind is an inclusive, outdoor-based and place-based school for neurodiverse, gifted and twice-exceptional students in early childhood through 9th grade that uses a unique, real-world STEAM curriculum.

Focus on Social-Emotional Learning

SEL is the foundation to all learning at Worldmind; social-emotional safety is just as important as physical safety at school. We ensure our students feel understood and accepted.

Outdoor-Based and Place-Based Education

Our classroom extends far beyond four walls. Learning in nature and in our surrounding community allows our students to follow their curiosity and solve real-world problems.

Individualized Learning

Students in grades 1-9 have learning plans tailored to their specific needs and aptitudes. Small class sizes & a compassionate focus on behavior allow our students the attention they deserve.

Trauma-Informed Education

We bring trauma-informed teaching into the classroom so we can help our commonly misunderstood students heal from challenges they have faced at previous schools.

The Overlapping Strengths of Neurodiversity

by Dr. Nancy Doyle, based on the work of Mary Colley

We know the gifted brain.

86% of our students are neurodiverse, and 83% of our students are gifted. The overlap of neurodivergence (a learning disability or neurological difference) and intellectual giftedness in a student considers them to be twice-exceptional (2e).

Because it is common for neurological differences coincide with one another (see image), many of our students have more than one difference that can affect their learning and behavior; often one or more go undiagnosed.

2e children have great potential for academic achievement, and they require a specific learning environment that supports them in both their strengths and differences to move toward academic success.

Worldmind knows how gifted brain works. We offer a nurturing environment for every child to thrive through our values in inclusivity and safety, a strong foundation in social-emotional learning, a strength-based approach to teaching, individualized learning plans for grades 1-9, and the endless benefits of learning in nature.

We specialize in a few differences.

Though our students vary in their differences, most of our students have one or more of the following:

- ADHD
- Autism
- Dyslexia
- Giftedness in one or more area

Many neurological differences coincide with one another; we often see an overlap of ADHD/Autism and ADHD/Dyslexia in our students.

Not only can these differences and overlaps go undiagnosed, but giftedness can also often be overlooked. A gifted student may score poorly on a test, but the score doesn’t necessarily measure academic success. Low test scores can show a lack of motivation to take the test in the first place.

We also specialize in behavior.

Neurological differences like ADHD and Autism can often come with behaviors that traditional schools tend to overlook or punish. Worldmind specializes in recognizing and compassionately working through these behaviors alongside our students.

Through carefully-built conflict resolution processes, we bring teachers and students together to better understand what underlies the behaviors and emotions that come up at school.

When things come up, we meet our students where they are. We’re always improving our conflict resolution processes based on the patterns of conflict we tend to see in our students.

Social & Emotional Learning with Dr. Ali Hill

Why Creativity is so Important with Parent and Engineer Hao Zhng

Worldmind School inspires children to enjoy and appreciate the natural world through mindful, child-led outdoor experiences without neglecting important academic principles.

Students who actively participate in the world outside their window often become more attentive, joyful and less anxious, which opens the mind to clear learning pathways.

Our unique educational curriculum promotes important educational principles as well as a compassionate understanding of bio and social diversity that lasts a lifetime.

In a digitally charged age, it is important for children to be exposed early on to the wonders of the natural world around them. This fundamental education can help children be academically prepared, become more self-aware and understand the tangible ways in which the world exists.

At Worldmind, traditional academic achievements occur organically in an interactive and responsive learning environment, preparing your child for life-long learning success.