IB Primary Years Program

Discovering the Joy of Learning

The IB Primary Years Program at Dwight School, offered from the Preschool 3s through Grade 5, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer in both the classroom and in the world outside. It provides a foundation for academic rigor and innovation that will follow the student through Preschool, Kindergarten, Lower School, and beyond.

Our teachers inspire students to become independent thinkers — one child at a time, in Dwight’s tradition of personalized learning.

The PYP at Dwight Is Designed to:

Teach students a broad base of knowledge and skills in subjects, ranging from mathematics and science, to social studies, the arts, and language in line with PYP and, for math and language arts, Common Core standards.
Incorporate six transdisciplinary themes that encourage students to learn more about themselves and the world around them — and to see how they interconnect.
Foster every student’s development of learning with a powerful emphasis on important ideas and concepts through the units of inquiry.
Emphasize the development of the whole student, including the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical well-being of every child.
Empower students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning.
Embrace the attributes outlined in the IB Learner Profile: Dwight students are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective.

Did you know?

Foreign language instruction at Dwight begins in our IB preschool, with instruction in both Mandarin and Spanish.
Our low student-teacher ratio demonstrates Dwight's commitment to providing individualized attention.
For 20 years, our grade 5 students have participated in a reciprocal exchange program with their peers at Dwight School London, promoting a sense of global citizenship, as well as nurturing friendships to last a lifetime.
Dwight received a School of Excellence Award for its IB programs.