About

Campuses

Burgundy students learn across two extraordinary campuses designed to support both body and mind. Our pastoral main campus sits on a former 26-acre, partially wooded dairy farm just outside the Washington, DC Beltway. As visitors turn onto the gravel driveway, they immediately feel a shift in pace and place, one that invites curiosity, movement, and focus.

Burgundy also stewards the Burgundy Center for Wildlife Studies, set within more than 600 acres of a secluded West Virginia valley. Most students travel there for two immersive class trips each year, extending learning far beyond the classroom walls. At Burgundy, learning happens everywhere, indoors and out, because we know that active, hands-on experiences and time in nature deepen understanding, strengthen the brain, and spark a lifelong love of discovery.

Curriculum

Our curriculum is rooted in these extraordinary natural resources and designed to be dynamic, integrated, and deeply personal. Learning at Burgundy is hands-on and connected across disciplines, reflecting how learning happens in real life. When a kindergarten class became curious about how a post office works last year, that interest grew into an integrated study: students visited a local post office, designed and built their own mailbox, and created a functioning mail delivery system across campus, drawing on reading, writing, math, problem-solving, collaboration, and outdoor movement along the way.

As a progressive school, we empower children to explore, make choices, and pursue their interests, knowing that student voice and deeper focus lead to deeper learning. Our curriculum honors the whole child, blending high academic challenge with a strong social-emotional foundation at every grade level, so learning happens with students, not to them.

Culture

From its inception, Burgundy has been guided by a culture that is intentionally different. Founded by parents with a clear and hopeful vision, the school was created to offer children “peace from fear—and an opportunity to develop courage and hope about themselves.” Learning at Burgundy is not a competition, but a personal journey shaped by curiosity, time, and trust in each child’s growth.

That founding spirit of care and shared purpose continues today through strong parent involvement and volunteerism, and through teachers who serve as guides and facilitators of learning rather than mere dispensers of information. We are also proud of our long-standing commitment to equity and belonging as Virginia’s first racially integrated school, leading with values years before the law required it.

Community

The shared experiences of a Burgundy education create a strong, lasting sense of connection and belonging. At Burgundy, everyone is known, respected, and valued, creating a community where students feel supported and ready to learn. Parents are deeply involved in school life through volunteering in the library, chaperoning field trips, sharing their expertise through interactive presentations, and helping bring school-wide events to life. This partnership between family, school, and student is central to the Burgundy experience, with children always at the heart of the work. The sense of community extends well beyond a student’s years on campus. Alumni, alumni families, and former faculty and staff remain closely connected, forming a diverse, multigenerational community.