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The Jackson Hole Community School is growing. A middle school is slated to open doors next fall for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The idea for a school to complement the high school has been around for a few years, according to Middle School Director Bill Waskowitz, who said educating the “whole person” will be the core focus of the curriculum.
“Every kid is going to be known not only from an academic point of view, but also who they are as a human,” Waskowitz said.
The new middle school adds to Jackson’s slate of private education options, which includes the Teton Science School’s Mountain Academy and the Jackson Hole Classical Academy. Just under 700 students attend the local public school.
Annual tuition isn’t finalized yet, but Waskowitz said it’s expected to cost less than the upper school. This year, that tuition was $36,500, though the school also offers financial aid.
Waskowitz brings two decades of experience as a private middle school director, from teaching at day schools and serving as the head of school, most recently at Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, Ohio for 15 years.
Bringing him on board this past spring was one of the first steps toward making the new arm of the Community School a reality. He said the goal is to eventually reach 30 students each in grades sixth through eighth.
Waskowitz said the school recently closed on a lease in the Flat Creek Business Center near Smith’s, adjacent to the high school campus.
Brendan Barnard is the school’s founding dean of student life. He said the curriculum will balance the holistic development of students with outdoor education, like camping around the Tetons and frequent off-campus field trips.
“We’ll have high standards academically in terms of student conduct, but we do want it to be a place where students love coming to school and where students are known and are recognized,” Barnard said.
An open house is scheduled at the campus for 6 p.m. on Nov. 12.
Bill Waskowitz and Brendan Barnard recorded an interview about the new middle school at the StoryCorps airstream when it made a stop in Jackson this summer. KHOL was the local partner. – Ed.
