Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) serves six rural communities in central Vermont: Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield, Warren, and Waterbury. The District comprises four PK-6 elementary schools, one PK-4 primary school, one 5-8 middle school, and a high school serving grades 7-12—a total of seven schools. All of our schools have high academic expectations and score at or above the state average consistently in areas of language arts, math, and science. HUUSD is a wholesome, livable district with strong community support for and participation in the educational process.
~HUUSD VISION STATEMENT~
The Harwood Unified Union School District provides a rigorous, innovative and student-centered educational experience in a welcoming and inclusive environment while ensuring equity, effectiveness, and efficiency. We will partner with our community to achieve our vision for excellence.
The six towns that comprise the Harwood Unified Union School District are located in the “Crossroads of Vermont,” nestled between ski resorts to the north and south, the vibrant city of Burlington to the northwest and the state’s capital Montpelier to the east. The towns of Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield, Warren, and Waterbury are home to working farms, world-class biking and skiing, charming village centers, and spectacular Green Mountain beauty.
Our schools offer after school enrichment programming and our middle and high school students participate in a range of athletic and artistic activities beyond the school day. The district works to make these activities highly accessible by providing bus transportation each evening and waiving participation fees as needed.
Outdoor learning is a hallmark of the HUUSD experience for all ages. All of our campuses include outdoor learning spaces, and many of our students learn to ski (nordic and alpine) and snowboard at school and through our partnerships with Stowe Mountain and Sugarbush ski resorts.
The HUUSD was an early adopter of proficiency-based learning. Harwood Union High School provides a collaborative, equitable, and personalized learning community designed to meet the needs of all our students. It provides a rigorous proficiency-based system of teaching and learning with clearly defined Learning Expectations that lead to success in college, career, and democratic citizenship. To meet graduation requirements, students demonstrate proficiency of the ten Learning Expectations through a minimum of the following courses and/or by accessing equivalent learning through Flexible Pathways. The Flexible Pathways include: independent studies, online learning, career and technical centers, internships, travel studies, dual enrollment and early college. Advanced Placement classes are offered in 11 disciplines.
We believe student voice plays a critical role in developing life-long learners and active community members. A hallmark of our Harwood Union High School curriculum is the Harkness model of democratic dialogue. Using their training and experience with Harkness Circles, our high school students have led community dialogues on race, engaging participants of all ages in powerful discussions both online and in person. Student representatives serve on the Harwood leadership team and on the school board; and students plan and direct the high school assemblies.
