Oaklane Academy honors the 94-year legacy of Oak Lane Day School, where generations of children learned that education is about nurturing the whole child, not just filling their heads with facts.
"I walked those 30 acres in Blue Bell. I learned in those classrooms where the walls opened to nature. Oak Lane Day School taught me that learning happens everywhere - not just at a desk."
— Kennedy De Sousa, Founder & Oak Lane Alumni
In 1916, while the world was at war, a group of visionary educators in Philadelphia founded Oak Lane Country Day School with a radical idea: children learn best when education respects their natural curiosity and celebrates diversity.
The school's founders embraced the Progressive Education Movement, supporting a religiously, racially, and economically diverse student population at a time when such integration was revolutionary. The first head of school, Francis Marion Garver, would later become director of the elementary division at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Education, carrying Oak Lane's progressive methods to teacher training.
Oak Lane Country Day School opens in Cheltenham Township on Oak Lane Road, pioneering progressive education methods.
World-renowned orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski and his wife, both Oak Lane parents, fund a groundbreaking nursery school wing designed by architects George Howe and William Lescaze in the famous 'International Style.'
Oak Lane merges with Temple University, becoming Oak Lane Country Day School of Temple University, expanding its reach while maintaining its progressive values.
The school purchases the magnificent 30-acre Cadwalader estate in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Woods, meadows, streams, and ponds become outdoor classrooms.
For 45 years, the Blue Bell campus's natural setting supports environmental studies. Specimen trees, wildlife, and stream ecosystems teach science through direct experience.
After 94 years and thousands of alumni, Oak Lane Day School holds one final celebration. Alumni from decades past reunite to honor the school's legacy.
An Oak Lane alumni carries the school's progressive spirit into the digital age, creating tools that help homeschool families document learning naturally and joyfully.
Oak Lane Day School nurtured generations of thinkers, creators, and leaders.
The legendary conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra chose Oak Lane for his children. His investment in the school's architecture brought internationally acclaimed architects to create spaces that merged indoor and outdoor learning.
Oak Lane's founding head of school later directed elementary education at the University of Pennsylvania, spreading progressive teaching methods to generations of educators.
The renowned architects designed Oak Lane's nursery wing as one of their first collaborations. Their "International Style" building attracted worldwide acclaim and influenced modern school design.
For 94 years, Oak Lane shaped doctors, artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, and parents who carry forward its values of curiosity, diversity, and learning through experience.
Oaklane Academy is built on the same principles that made Oak Lane Day School extraordinary for nearly a century.
Education happens everywhere - not just at a desk. We help you capture and celebrate learning moments wherever they occur.
No two learners are the same. Our tools adapt to your child's pace, interests, and learning style.
You know your child best. We give you the tools to document, understand, and guide their journey.
Join the families who are documenting their homeschool journeys with the same spirit of progressive education that Oak Lane championed.
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