Independent K–8 · Asheville, North Carolina
Curious kids. Serious learning. Muddy boots.
For fifty years Brookside has taught children to read closely, think clearly and spend real time outdoors, on 38 wooded acres beside Laurel Creek.
Fall Open House on November 8. Tours run Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
- average class size
- 14
- average class size
- student to teacher ratio
- 8:1
- student to teacher ratio
- acres of forest, creek and garden
- 38
- acres of forest, creek and garden
- of families receive tuition aid
- 31%
- of families receive tuition aid
The Brookside difference
What a Brookside education feels like
Rigour and childhood are not opposites. We design every day to hold both.
Readers and writers
Daily literature circles from kindergarten and a writing workshop every grade, with real feedback on real drafts.
Outdoors every day
Each class spends at least an hour outside, from creek studies in first grade to trail mapping in seventh.
Math that makes sense
Hands-on, conceptual math that moves to algebra by eighth grade for most students.
Known by name
Every middle schooler has an advisor who meets with them weekly and with families each term.
Arts at the core
Studio art, strings, choir and a spring musical, taught by working artists, not squeezed into Fridays.
Spanish from K
Spanish three times a week from kindergarten, with an eighth-grade service trip to Costa Rica.
1 hr+
outside, every school day
Outdoor learning
The forest is our second classroom
Our campus runs down to Laurel Creek, and we use every bit of it. Children test water quality, keep bee hives, track the seasons on the same oak for nine years and learn that weather is not a reason to stay indoors.
- Weekly Forest Days for kindergarten through grade 2
- A working half-acre garden that supplies our lunch kitchen
- Overnight trips from grade 4, ending with a 5-day Appalachian Trail section in grade 8
96%
admitted to their first-choice high school
Middle school
Ready for high school, and for themselves
Grades 5 to 8 are where Brookside students learn to manage their own time, argue a point with evidence and take intellectual risks. They leave confident, organised and ready for any high school in the region.
- Advisory groups of eight, meeting weekly
- Lab science in a dedicated maker and science wing
- Eighth-grade capstone presented to a panel of community experts
From Brookside families
Parents say it better than we do
“Our daughter was a quiet second grader who hid behind her hair. Now she is in seventh grade and argued a resolution at Model UN. The teachers saw her before she saw herself.”
“We toured six schools. Brookside was the only one where the kids interrupted the tour to show us what they were building.”
“The aid process was respectful and fast. We would never have considered independent school without it, and it changed our son's life.”
A day at Brookside
What a Tuesday looks like
A sample day for Lower School and Middle School. Times shift a little by grade.
| Time | Lower School (K–4) | Middle School (5–8) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 | Morning meeting | Advisory |
| 8:30 | Literacy block | Humanities seminar |
| 10:15 | Outdoor recess and snack | Math |
| 11:00 | Math workshop | Science lab |
| 12:15 | Lunch from our garden kitchen | Lunch and clubs |
| 13:15 | Forest or garden studies | Spanish |
| 14:15 | Art, music or Spanish | Arts electives |
| 15:15 | Closing circle and dismissal | Athletics and dismissal |
Before care opens at 7:30. After School runs until 17:30.
News and notes
From the Head's desk and the classroom
LearningSep 24, 2026 · 5 min read
How we teach reading in the early grades, and how to help at home
Phonics, stories and a lot of talk. Our Lower School director explains our approach and the simple routines that help most at home.
From the HeadSep 3, 2026 · 5 min read
Phones and middle schoolers: our approach to devices
Why Brookside middle school is phone-free during the day, and what we suggest families consider before buying a first smartphone.
AdmissionsAug 18, 2026 · 4 min read
Nine questions to ask on any school tour
Our admissions director's honest list of questions that reveal what a school is really like, whether or not you choose Brookside.
Come walk the campus with us
Tours run Tuesday and Thursday at 9:00, led by our admissions team and a student guide. Allow about 75 minutes.