About
Why An All-Girls School
Now more than ever, we recognize the importance of an all-girls education that develops talented girls into confident young women with vision, global understanding, and the competency to make significant and enduring contributions to the world. Here at Baldwin, we provide students with a thoughtful and tailored environment designed to support how girls learn best. Our curriculum, programs, and experiences support girls as they learn, flourish, and succeed in both academic and life settings.
Counter Gender Stereotypes
There is no difference in what boys and girls can learn. However, they learn differently. With classrooms and lessons designed to support faculty and staff, and an encouraging, welcoming community, Baldwin girls believe anything is possible. They take risks and appreciate the process and joys of learning. Through an intentionally empowering environment that encourages students to expand their curiosity and explore their interests, our girls know their options are never limited by their gender. Starting with our youngest students, we create pathways for our girls to pursue any field, countering cultural limitations and eliminating preconceived stereotypes.
Create a Vibrant Sisterhood
Baldwin's close-knit student body creates a deeply felt sisterhood amongst our girls of all ages. The tight sense of community is evident as you walk down our hallways, observe what happens in class, or watch how our students engage across divisions.
A UCLA study suggests that women tend to respond to stress by forming and maintaining friendships with other women. Being around friends can mitigate stress, as their presence triggers hormones that promote feelings of calmness and happiness. From the round tables in our dining hall and classrooms to our communal and peer-designed common areas, we offer endless opportunities outside of class and organized activities to foster friendship development, which has been shown to effectively reduce stress and encourage success, helping women reach their full potential.
As part of the sisterhood at Baldwin, students regularly share how supported they are by their peers and teachers. This naturally leads to increased collaboration as they share ideas and encourage each other to take risks while learning. Across all grades and disciplines, our girls are encouraged to engage in collaborative work, present their ideas confidently, and learn from others' lived experiences. This helps prepare Baldwin students for college, their careers, and lives beyond our gates.
Encourage a Growth Mindset
We help our girls learn that struggling with a challenging concept doesn't mean they can't understand it; it simply means they haven't grasped it yet. "Yet" shifts the feeling of defeat and re-energizes their learning. We encourage our students to tackle challenging problems or situations head-on and confidently, knowing that success often takes multiple iterations.
The Baldwin Way
We cultivate learning environments that:
Baldwin's focus on experiential, active learning helps girls cultivate this growth mindset. Students are taught to try, fail, and maybe fail again, but keep trying. Our teachers work closely with each girl, both in and out of the classroom, to provide qualitative feedback and offer one-on-one time, meeting each girl where she is throughout her learning journey. Baldwin's mission-focused teaching methods ensure that our faculty effectively nurtures students' resilience and passion for learning.
- Encourage girls to verbally process their thoughts and ideas in both small and large groups.
- Provide numerous opportunities for collaboration on lessons and projects.
- Inspire girls to tackle complex problems.
- Offer them choices in their learning opportunities and creative ways to demonstrate their understanding.
- Create lessons that are clear and relevant to their lives.
- Teach girls how to experience failure without feeling like a failure.
- Focus on a growth mindset and the power of "yet."
Baldwin's focus on experiential, active learning helps girls cultivate this growth mindset. Students are taught to try, fail, and maybe fail again, but keep trying. Our teachers work closely with each girl, both in and out of the classroom, to provide qualitative feedback and offer one-on-one time, meeting each girl where she is throughout her learning journey. Baldwin's mission-focused teaching methods ensure that our faculty effectively nurtures students' resilience and passion for learning.
Build Confidence
Confidence is a stronger predictor of future academic and professional success than IQ. At Baldwin, we define confidence as encompassing both emotional and cognitive elements, and it is closely linked to action. It involves hard work, resilience, and the determination to persevere. Simply put (in essence), long before modern studies confirmed what Baldwin already understood — that confidence matters — we were pioneers in creating an educational experience that nurtures both past and future generations of women who will make lasting contributions to the world.
Develop Compassionate Leaders
At Baldwin, girls lead — from our youngest students in grade-level assemblies to those who speak at commencement— with numerous opportunities to develop their voices and leadership styles. Whether they are building confidence in the classroom, on the athletic field, or in their artistic pursuits, they know they can lead from every seat. All-girls schools, such as Baldwin, have higher leadership rates: 93% of students report greater leadership opportunities for girls and women, and 80% hold leadership positions post-graduation, compared to their peers in co-ed schools. When you provide girls with the right environment, there are no limits to what they can achieve in the classroom and beyond.
