About

Student paints a fish
Students work with circuit board

Our Promise

Landon School challenges and inspires every boy it teaches to think deeply and broadly; to embody the timeless values of respect, perseverance, and honor; to seek balance and pursue excellence in all endeavors; to become the best version of himself.

Cris

Parent

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Dimmy

Upper School History Teacher

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Fletch 31

Student

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As you consider Landon, you may ask of us: What is it that we believe about this institution and its mission?  

We believe in the vast human potential inherent in boys and their capacity to do and to be good. - Jim Neill, Head of school

70%

Of Faculty Hold Advanced Degrees

14

Average Class Size

75

Acre Campus

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The Facts

Landon is home to 690 students, 125 full-time faculty and staff, a 75-acre campus, and so much more. Statistics, though, are only one element that tells the story of who we are, what we do, and how we go about a boy-centered, well-balanced approach to help your son learn and grow.

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    Mission & Values

    English class reads poetry outside

    Our Mission

    Landon School is committed to the ethical, intellectual, and personal development of boys.

    We challenge and inspire them to think deeply, individually, and broadly; to live with respect and honor; and to grow into healthy, well-rounded men of integrity and character who seek to make a positive difference in the world around them.

     

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    Leadership

    Landon’s Board of Trustees focuses on cultivating the long-term growth of the institution. Our Head of School conducts the day-to-day operations of the school. The Board of Trustees and Head work closely together to ensure Landon’s programs and practices serve our boys effectively and remain grounded in our mission.

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    Strategic Plan

    In the fall of 2016, Landon began its first comprehensive goal-setting exercise in a decade. The 2018 Strategic Plan was the result of this exercise, and it challenges us to grow as a school and live our mission to the fullest. It is focused on six key areas: academics, character, faculty, campus, resources, and community.

    We spent a year developing the six goals and associated action steps that make up the plan. The process included commentary from hundreds of community members and engagement by a 35-person committee whose voices represented a wide array of Landon constituencies and viewpoints. Our Board of Trustees approved the plan in 2017. 

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    Campus Master Plan

    Picture of Campus Master Plan

    Landon submitted its Campus Master Plan to Montgomery County in the Spring of 2021, which was later approved by the County in the Fall of 2021.

    This plan represents has the potential to transform our grounds into an even more beautiful and beneficial home for our boys and our faculty. The plan envisions the creation of a new Upper School building, which will maintain a central location on the current site of the Andrews House, establishing a beacon of learning on the highest point of our 75 acres. With this new Upper School, the Middle School will then move into a renovated and expanded Banfield Academic Center (the current Upper School building), and the Lower School will move into the current Middle School, resulting in an academic quad that supports a cohesive Landon experience for all of our students. 

    see new spaces

    watch us build

    The Campaign for Landon

    The success of this campaign will empower us to reimagine our campus.

    Our entire community will immensely benefit from this transformation. New and renovated spaces will connect our community and encourage faculty and students to ask questions and explore new ideas.

    the campaign for landon

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    Neighbors

    We value the relationships we have with the community around us, and this section of our website is designed to share information about our school. We invite our neighbors who are interested in Landon events and activities and who wish to receive communications about Landon on a regular basis to share an email address with us.  If you have questions or concerns, please contact our Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer Chris Harper at chris_harper@landon.net or our Director of Facilities Mike Sopher at michael_sopher@landon.net.

    join our neighbors email list

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    Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

    Performers, students, and faculty pose after AAPI Assembly

    Respect is a core value of a Landon School education. And respecting others means respecting and celebrating their different journeys, backgrounds, and identities.  Landon is committed to promoting supportive and welcoming traits like inclusivity and appreciating diversity and how it enriches the tapestry of the community.  We seek to develop in our students the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to value differences, encouraging both speaking and acting with integrity and compassion and developing an informed and respectful worldview.

    The Landon 2018 Strategic Plan identifies areas for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, including:

    • Imbue an authentic respect and appreciation for differences of all kinds through programming and practices that expand students' understanding of others and that lead to lifelong brotherly bonds.
    • Enrich the school population through broadened efforts to recruit and support students and faculty with diverse backgrounds.

    We have made the advancement of DEI-related work a primary professional development priority for the school. All faculty and staff have set goals for themselves on a range of topics from reviewing curricular and programmatic content and teaching practices; to personal growth and development through workshops, conversations, and reading; to evaluating various policies and procedures to ensure we are creating an equitable and inclusive experience for our young men.   

    DEI Updates

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    Facilities Rental

    Landon facilities are available to rent. Please reach out to bill_brady@landon.net with questions and/or inquiries. Here is a look at some of Landon's facilities as part of our 75-acre campus.

    Facilities

    Welcome to Landon!

    Armstrong Field

    Armstrong Field 

    Bordley Stadium

    Turf field, track, and stadium

    Banfield Academic Center

    Upper School

    Middle School Science Classroom

    Classroom

    Middle School

    Middle School

    Mondzac Performing Arts Center

    Performing Arts Center

    Coates Auditorium

    Auditorium

    Lindner Dining Hall

    Dining Hall

    Pielage Amphiteater

    Amphitheater

    Jacoby Tennis Courts

    Jacoby Tennis Courts

    Wilson Building Lower School

    Lower School

    Riddleberger Gym

    Riddleberger Gym

    Perkins Gym

    Perkins Gym

    Goddard Field

    Goddard Field

    Farmhouse

    Farmhouse

    Landon Bear

    Go Bears!

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    Campus Map

    Campus Map

     

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    History

    Landon School boys from the 1950's
    •  1934 — Landon School moves to the Walsh McLean estate (Whitehall) at the corner of Bradley Blvd. and Wilson Lane in Bethesda, Maryland. 
    • 1936 — Landon School purchases the Andrews estate at 6101 Wilson Lane, where the school stands today. Classes for Grades 3–6 remain in Whitehall until 1940. 
    • 1939 — Landon wins its first IAC championship, this time for baseball. In the years that follow, Landon wins an IAC title every year except three. 
    • 1940 — Following the completion of the new Perkins Gymnasium, the Lower School building is constructed. 
    • 1943 — Albert Rogers is wartime acting headmaster. Landon conducts three graduations the next year (February, June, and August) for students heading off to war. 
    • 1948 — Gladys Georgia becomes Landon’s first full-time art teacher, expanding the school’s arts offerings from music and theater to the studio arts. 
    • 1954 — The public is invited to tour the newly acquired Perkins Memorial Azalea Garden, and the annual Azalea Garden Festival, a scholarship fundraiser, is born. 
    • 1961 — The Lower School building is dedicated to longtime Lower School Head Clyde T. Wilson. 
    • 1963 — Landon Upper School students propose and adopt an Honor Code defining their own conduct. 
    • 1968 — Landon School fields its first lacrosse team with Coach Sullivan. Participants are in Grades 5 and 6. 
    • 1970 — Founder and Headmaster Paul L. Banfield retires, and Hugh C. Riddleberger is named Landon School’s second headmaster. 
    • 1971 — With only 15 boys in the dorm, the Boarding Department closes at the end of the school year. 
    • 1981 — Hugh C. Riddleberger retires; Malcolm Coates is named Landon School’s third headmaster. 
    • 1988 — Landon wins its first IAC Founder’s Cup. 
    • 1989 — The Mondzac Performing Arts Center opens with an auditorium (named for Malcolm Coates), music classrooms, rehearsal space, and a dining room. 
    • 1990 — Malcolm Coates retires; Damon F. Bradley is named Landon’s fourth headmaster. 
    • 2000 — Landon opens a new Middle School for Grades 6–8, which includes a library, science laboratories, and art studios. 
    • 2002 — The school adds a Civility Code to the core principles that govern our behavior as members of a community dedicated to the inclusion of all. 
    • 2004 — Damon F. Bradley retires; David M. Armstrong is named the school’s fifth headmaster. Landon celebrates its 75th graduating class. 
    • 2008 — Landon adopts a Code of Character, which raises civility to the level of honor; the Joshua M. Freeman ’83 Center for Athletic Achievement opens, providing a new fitness center and wrestling facility. 
    • 2013 — Landon celebrates its 60th Azalea Garden Festival.
    • 2014 — Landon celebrates its 85th anniversary. The Landon United capital campaign comes to a close having raised more than $51 million for the school, the most successful fundraising initiative in Landon history. 
    • 2015 — Headmaster David M. Armstrong steps down to lead the International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC); Jim Neill becomes Landon’s sixth Head of School. 
    • 2022 — Landon begins construction on its Campus Master Plan, including a new Upper School and academic quad.

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    News & Calendar

    Seniors pose for a picture during the 2023 capstone program

    Landon’s Class of 2023 participated in an updated senior capstone experience that includes practical life skills to prepare students for college and life beyond, as well as experiential learning that draws on the historical and cultural influences of the D.C. area. 

    Students pose with their college sweatshirts in year end tradition

    The Class of 2023 includes 86 students who will attend 58 colleges and universities around the country. Four students will either play professional soccer, participate in required military service in their home country, or take a postgraduate year.

    Students mix concrete in environmental science class. 

    Lower School Bears participate in a challenge to help them lead with respect and kindness. Find out how the Manners Matter Challenge uses friendly competition to foster lasting behavior.

    Landon Magazine

    Calendar

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