About

Why Dawson

Small School. Big Experiences.

Families that choose Dawson receive world-class education and opportunities. Our spectacular 107-acre campus is designed for students to feel secure, inspired, and free to spend time outside. We are known for our college preparatory program and for providing K-12 students with a relevant curriculum, meaningful experiences, personalized attention, and strong social-emotional programming.

Whether a student's interests lie in academic disciplines, athletics, technology, the arts, business, or passions outside of school, Dawson provides a path for each student to reach their individual potential.

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Hands-On Learning

Students spend an average of 100 hours each year learning outside the traditional classroom. From field trips to community service, travel, internships, on-campus labs, speakers, and maker space activities, students get to stretch their imagination of what's possible, solve problems, think critically, and, most importantly, stay engaged and motivated.

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Personal Attention

The average class size at Dawson is 15, and our faculty-to-student ratio is 7:1. This gives students individual attention and instruction, strong relationships and networking with faculty and fellow students, and more opportunities for hands-on learning. Faculty access also includes division-specific social/emotional counselors and learning support faculty. No student at Dawson gets lost in the shuffle.

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A Safe Space

We've expanded our security team, enhanced our video monitoring capabilities, implemented security upgrades, and bolstered our social-emotional support staff. All faculty, staff, and coaches undergo mandatory background and reference checks, plus annual training in first aid, emergency protocols, and sexual misconduct prevention. This commitment ensures a secure, supportive environment where students thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.

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Experienced Faculty

70% of our faculty have advanced degrees and an average tenure of 8 years. Experienced teachers help students do better on tests and improve informal learning in areas such as behavior, cognition, motivation, and emotion. Having consistent, dedicated faculty is the key to Dawson's incredible community and the unmatched mentorship that is afforded to each student.

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Higher Standards

Our college acceptance rates are well above the global average, and 100% of our graduates are accepted to a four-year college or university. We attribute this to our high academic standards, which are challenging and ask students to apply their knowledge and skills in new ways. Our higher standards prepare students to succeed in college, careers, and the community.

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Student-Centered College Counseling

Our college counseling program is a customized, student-centered journey that begins freshman year. We provide every student with personalized attention at all stages of the college search and application process, making sure the right fit is based on academic performance, future goals, school culture, student personality, financial needs, and extracurricular interests. Students and parents are able to make informed decisions that lead to successful college decisions and successes.

Our Academic Approach

Class of 2024 Accolades

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100% college acceptance across 140 schools
127 merit awards received totaling $7.6 million in aid
Multiple teams qualified for the CHSAA State Playoffs
Robotics Team was the recipient of the Gene Haas Foundation FIRST Grant
2 Bobby G Award Nominations for our production of Mean Girls The Musical
Speech and Debate CHSAA Festival State Champions
3 National Merit finalists
3 National Merit Commended Scholars
15 AP Scholars
9 AP Scholars with honors
14 AP Scholars with Distinction

Acceptances & Matriculation

Michelle Yano, Dawson Parent

"The faculty and staff genuinely care for each student. They put immense effort into getting to know each and every child. Dawson has created a safe environment for our son to be his authentic self, encouraging his curiosity and making it easier for him to learn."

Our Strategic Vision

Dawson's strategic vision was developed to guide the school's planning process and decision-making and to uphold Dawson's virtues of respect, compassion, courage, and integrity.

Dawson is known for its consistent and dedicated focus on delivering an exceptional, innovative, and relevant educational program.
Dawson is known for the excellence of its teachers, their mentoring of students, and their enthusiasm for collaborative professional growth and development.
Dawson is known for attracting young people who are explorers by nature and who confidently push beyond a traditional college preparatory education to bring their best to a dynamic world.
Dawson is known as a community asset, whose partnerships with leading global, regional, and local businesses provide meaningful opportunities for its students.