Our Story
About The Laurel School
Founded by educators who have spent their careers asking what school could be at its very best, and decided to build it themselves.
The Symbolism of the Laurel
In the forests of Virginia, where the soil runs acidic and the light filters thin through older, taller trees, the mountain laurel does not compete. It does not rush toward the canopy or strain to be seen. It simply grows, dense and deliberate, evergreen through every season, flowering brilliantly in the brief Virginia spring with clusters of white and rose that stop you mid-trail.
It is not the tallest thing in the forest. It never will be.
It is something better.
The mountain laurel is proof that strength does not require size. That beauty is not fragile. That the most enduring things in nature are often the ones growing quietly, steadily, in the places others overlook.
That is the spirit of The Laurel School.
We are not building the biggest school. We are building the most rooted one, a place where children are not rushed toward some distant canopy, but given the time, the soil, and the light they need to grow dense and strong and true. Where learning is not a race but a season. Where every child, like the laurel, is allowed to become exactly what they are: quietly remarkable, brilliantly alive, enduring in ways that will outlast anything we can measure.
The mountain laurel blooms where others cannot. So will your child.
Why We Started
Founded with Purpose.
Led by Educators.
We believe children learn best when they feel safe, known, and genuinely engaged. The Laurel School was founded around that belief: a school where relationships come first, curiosity is nurtured, and every child has the space to grow at their own pace.
The Laurel School is led by educators with more than 40 years of combined experience in school leadership, curriculum development, and family engagement, people who understand how children develop and what it takes to build a school that truly serves them.
We believe childhood is not a waiting room. It is the most important time to develop strong habits of mind, a love of learning, and a sense of self. Everything we do at The Laurel School is designed with that in mind.
Learn MoreOur Founders
The People Behind the School
Johnathan Harris, Ed.D.
Co-Founder & Founding Headmaster
Johnathan Harris, Ed.D., is a co-founder and one of the driving forces behind The Laurel School. A native of Southwest Virginia, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Lynchburg and earned his Doctorate of Education from Marymount University.
He brings more than 25 years of experience in educational leadership, nonprofit management, and project management to this work. A significant portion of that career was spent in the elementary classroom and in school administration, giving him a close understanding of how young children learn and what it takes to lead a school well. He holds licensure as an educator leader through the Virginia Department of Education and is a published author on family engagement in independent schools and on progressive education in the modern era.
Courtney Harris, Ed.D.
Co-Founder & Trustee
Courtney Harris, Ed.D., is a co-founder of The Laurel School and serves on its Board of Trustees. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Richmond, her Master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Doctorate of Education from East Tennessee State University.
Dr. Harris brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education and student leadership to the school's founding. Her work has long centered on developing students as whole people, a philosophy woven into everything The Laurel School does.
Together they founded The Laurel School with a shared conviction: that Richmond deserved a school built differently. Small by design. Intentional by conviction. Centered on the child. They built an independent school that is quietly remarkable.
Our Educational Philosophy
The Laurel Framework
The Laurel Framework is our named educational methodology. Not borrowed from any single tradition. Built here, for children like yours. It holds that learning is a cycle of experience, reflection, and application, and that belonging is not a sentiment but a condition of learning itself.
Read Our Full Philosophy →School Culture
How We Treat Each Other
Our culture is built on five shared commitments. They are not rules. They are values we hold together, practiced every day by students and adults alike.
Children cannot learn when they don't feel safe. We protect every child's physical and emotional security, always.
Kindness is taught explicitly and practiced daily, with peers, teachers, and ourselves. It is the foundation of everything else.
Children learn that their choices matter to themselves, their classmates, and their community. Accountability builds character.
Questions are welcome. Wonder is the starting point. We come prepared, present, and open, with the mindset to grow every day.
Our school belongs to all of us. We look out for each other, treat shared spaces with respect, and show up for our community every day.
Now Accepting Applications
Ready to Find Your School?
The Laurel School is enrolling for 2026–2027. We welcome families who value intentional, joyful, deeply academic education. We'd love to show you what we've built.