What if your kids wished every day were a school day?
The Harbor School is a community-based, tuition-free public charter middle school built with and for Richmond families — a place where every young person is seen, supported, and challenged every single day.
Stay updated on events, progress, and opportunities to help bring The Harbor School to life
A place built with and for Richmond families
The Harbor School started with one voice, one young person enough to say, "All kids should have access to a great school."
During the pandemic, five young people, along with their mothers and grandmothers, came together with education and youth development experts to create the learning experience they needed to thrive.
They redesigned school for what their young people truly needed. A place where they belonged and felt safe to ask questions. A place where curiosity drove learning and learning became meaningful and purposeful. A place that transformed kids who were at risk of getting lost into learners, leaders, and designers of their own futures.
That space, their harbor, proved what's possible when brilliance is nurtured.
Now their experience can become a middle school for all of Richmond. A place where kids grow into whole, healthy humans.
Tonya Robinson
Community Member and Parent
Add your voice to the families shaping Harbor’s future.
Where belonging lays the foundation
We’ve talked to hundreds of Richmond families - nearly all of them want the same thing in a middle school: a place where their kids are safe, seen, and supported.
At The Harbor School, learning rests in a culture of real belonging and mindfulness, where power is shared.
Kids are safe to be themselves and they learn that growth means making mistakes and recovering from them. This creates a joyful learning community where they become resilient young people who have the skills and mindsets to thrive.
Where mindful connection leads to meaning-making
At The Harbor School, learning how to learn and how to think are more important than what to think. Our outcomes reach beyond academics, helping each young person become:
Active Community Members – knowing who they are and how they want to show up for the communities they are a part of.
Curious, Competent Learners – mastering academics while discovering new passions.
Designers of Their Own Futures – setting goals, solving problems, and shaping the lives they want.
What Makes The Harbor School Different
4 Key Design Elements That Put Learners at the Center
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Early adolescence is a time of significant and highly variable developmental growth. Our learning environment embraces these developmental realities creating the context middle schoolers need to thrive.
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Learners work on projects that grow from their interests and goals — building knowledge, creativity, and confidence along the way. When learning feels meaningful, kids stay curious and proud of what they accomplish.
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Everyone learns at their own rhythm. Students have time to master new ideas, build good habits, and strengthen focus before moving on. It’s not about keeping up, it’s about growing strong and steady, with high expectations and the right support.
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Parents and caretakers are a child’s first teachers. That’s why we keep families involved — sharing progress, celebrating wins, and listening to feedback. When families and educators work together, kids thrive.
From Vision to Reality
The Harbor School is a community-based public charter middle school to serve 6th-8th graders in Richmond.
Upon authorization by the Richmond Public School Board it will:
Become part of the RPS public school ecosystem.
Tuition-free and open to all through a public lottery system.
Held to Virginia’s SOQs and SOLs like all public schools.
Granted flexibility in teaching and operations, but must meet performance goals.
Voices from Richmond
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“The Harbor School pilot gave my kids the courage to say ‘I don't know this’ and allowed them to be comfortable both with the ‘not knowing’ and the ‘wanting to know.’”
— Tonya Robinson, Richmond Parent and Community Founder
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“The Harbor School [pilot] characterized by challenge, understanding beyond the classroom, and genuine care - continues to inform my expectations in all formal educational experiences.”
— Jayden Crosby-Brewer, Student and Community Founder
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“I never saw kids transform like they did in The Harbor School pilot.”
— Todd McFarlane, Former President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond and Management Committee Member
Your learner’s journey matters. Share what brings them joy, the challenges they’ve faced, and why they need a school like Harbor.
Quick Answers
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Our 4 year design process included over 4200 hours of design, learning pilots, and reflection. Over 175 community members contributed by sharing their school experiences and expertise. These numbers continue to grow as we are out knocking on doors and meeting up with members of our community still today.
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We’re working toward authorization from the Richmond Public School Board, and your support helps make that happen. Get Involved —>
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Harbor does not yet have a home. We will open in an area of town that wants this school to be a part of their community and where our learners will feel welcome and supported.
Our school will be small at first and grow in capacity over time - so, we will not need a permanent location for several years after opening. In the meantime, if you want this school in your neighborhood, connect with us and let us know!
This is our place.
It started with one young person’s voice and has become a community’s promise — a place where every learner is seen, every mind is challenged, and every journey is supported.
A place to belong. A place to run toward.
A place your kids can’t wait to go to every single day.
This is our place. Make this your place.
