The Mandala School is a private, project-based school in Bowie, Maryland, enrolling students from Pre-K4 through Grade 12. Rather than organizing the day around standardized testing, the school builds learning around extended STEAM projects that pull in history and social studies, hands-on real-world work, and field studies that take students out to local businesses and into different career settings. The stated aim is to grow problem-solving, creativity, persistence, and collaboration alongside academic content. The individualized model and personalized support make it a fit for students with language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional learners who need a setting that adapts to how they learn instead of moving everyone at one pace. Environmental stewardship runs through daily life on campus, not just one Earth Day event. Students take part in campus care, animal habitat maintenance, and nature-based art, and the curriculum folds in life skills, goal-setting, and a community framework the school calls The Mandala Principle, which centers teamwork and supporting classmates. Head of School Antoinette Murray leads the program, which has been featured in a WHUR 96.3 radio interview on its approach to education. Beyond the school year, the school runs a Summer in the Valley program and monthly adult sound-meditation sessions. Enrollment is open year-round, including over the summer, and is based on available openings. Families commit to a full school year so students can settle into the environment and workflow. Admission runs through five steps: research, a no-fee application reviewed by the Admissions Committee in about a week, an in-person interview and facility tour, a visiting week where the student joins classes and staff, and a final enrollment agreement. Tuition for the 2026 to 2027 year is $15,000 for one child on the standard 10-month or 12-month plan, with discounts for full payment ($14,250) or bi-annual payment ($14,625), and reduced multi-child rates (two children $27,000, three children $40,500 on monthly plans, with larger discounts for paying up front). A non-refundable registration and curriculum fee of $370 ($220 registration plus a $150 tech fee) is due at registration. Need-based financial aid scholarships are available across all grades, with priority for families who request assistance and submit documents by March 5, and aid recipients are asked to contribute through volunteering during the year.
