There’s something special when you come to campus and realize, oh… these people get my kid. Seabury exists for that moment and for all the ones that come after it: the growth, the challenge, the laughter, and the steady work of helping gifted students become confident learners and good people.
Seabury was founded in 1989, the inspiration of two retired educators, Barbara Field and Lee Woodworth Fisher, who believed that gifted children deserved a school built around how they actually learn, not one that tries to squeeze them into learning bands. That belief is still at the heart of our mission today: we challenge gifted children in a community that cherishes each individual and fosters a love of learning, discovery, and creativity.
Our students learn differently. Gifted learners often thrive with a quicker pace, deeper complexity, and flexible and creative teachers who understand how their minds operate, especially when they’re learning alongside true intellectual peers. At Seabury, gifted education isn’t an add-on program or a once-a-week pullout.
It’s school.
So what does that look like in real life?
- A child-centered approach that values the whole child
- Learning where readiness and interests guide pace and depth, so students are appropriately stretched, accelerated, and challenged.
- Classrooms that emphasize creative, critical, and analytical thinking, with hands-on learning in and out of the classroom.
- Teachers who are passionate about this work, supported by small classes, differentiated instruction, and a culture that encourages students to pursue ideas seriously (even when the ideas start a little… unusually).
There is a moment I’ve seen play out again and again: a student visits Seabury and says, “I’ve found my people.” We are a place where students find belonging and challenge, peers who understand them, and a community that helps them grow into confident leaders. Your student doesn’t need to be a zebra in a herd full of horses. Here they run with other zebras.
Seabury has always been rooted in Tacoma and the South Sound, and families come to us from across the region and around the country because they want a school intentionally designed for intellectually advanced learners and a community that genuinely understands giftedness. We also believe the world is part of the classroom. Our students regularly learn beyond campus through curriculum-connected field studies, and our older students spend meaningful time out in the city for learning and community-building experiences.
And finally: Seabury works best when school and home are in partnership. Families are part of the team. We’ll communicate, we’ll collaborate, and we’ll keep coming back to the same core questions: What does this specific child need to thrive right now and what will they need next?
I look forward to seeing you on campus, whether I’m greeting you as you arrive for the day, chatting in the front office, or at an all-school gathering.
Go Banana Slugs,
Rob Scotlan
Head of School, Seabury School
