Community High School was founded in 2002 with a commitment to seminar-style (discussion-based) classes and progressive education. Our rigorous and diverse curriculum – taught by a highly qualified faculty of scholars and artists – prepares students to succeed at the college level, while allowing them to direct the course of their own education without the constraints of SOL-based testing and traditional grading systems. A team of experienced and devoted college counselors helps students navigate the college application process using a highly personalized, holistic approach.

Students who thrive at Community High School value trust, humor, empathy, curiosity, and respect for the free exchange of ideas. They tend to find joy in academic pursuits and form strong bonds with their CHS peers and teachers. The community is small – 65 total students and about 15 faculty members – and close-knit, allowing small class sizes and individualized attention for students.

We teach classes in five main disciplines, including math, science, foreign languages, humanities, and arts, and value the arts as a core part of our curriculum. Our arts offerings include music, film production/critique, creative writing, theater, and visual arts, which offers everything from oil painting to sculpture, puppet-making, photography, drawing, printmaking, and more, depending on the semester. Our humanities curriculum allows students to experience material from different cultural regions and time periods. Most humanities classes contain both literary and social science content so that students are required to approach the course’s subject from a variety of academic perspectives. Courses emphasize critical writing, independent research, seminar discussion and close reading. Please explore the curriculum section of our website to learn more about our classes, school culture, and college preparation process.