Dr. Robert W. Nafie, Headmaster

We hear independent schools such as Clairbourn referred to as prep schools. And it’s true we’re preparing our students to meet higher-level academic challenges. But in a wider sense, we’re preparing them for success in the world at large.

At Clairbourn, we provide the guidance, individual attention, and motivation that leads to strong academic, personal, and ethical capabilities. The comprehensive educational journey is comprised of four interlocking programs: Early Childhood, Primary, Intermediate, and Middle School.

From early childhood through middle school, each area has specific goals and strategies that are developmentally fine-tuned for the intended grade level. Students are given a set of compatible learning tools and academic components that fit from grade to grade. They also move forward along a seamless path of social and personal development designed to prepare them for leadership positions in the higher grades.

Keeping in mind the importance of continuity, when the learning tools, social connections, ethical guidance, and physical environment remain consistent for students, success is the natural outcome and targeted goals are easier to achieve.

The key to the Clairbourn approach is not simply strong academics, but it’s the way the whole program works together. Our unique perspective and experience allows for a higher result from our students, and our record bears this out. As famed UCLA coach John Wooden says, “...there is but little difference in the technical knowledge about the game of basketball among most experienced coaches, but there may be a vast difference in their ability to teach and to motivate.”1

As you explore our website, I hope you gain a sense of what the Clairbourn experience offers and follow up with an in-person tour at one of our admissions meetings.

Cordially,

Robert W. Nafie, Ph.D.
Headmaster

1 The John Wooden Pyramid of Success, Johnson, Neville L., Cool Titles, 2004; p. 181