Arlington High School Receives National Project Award
Arlington High School earned the New School Award in the 2026 A4LE + EDmarket Project Awards, a national recognition for schools that support innovative learning and foster community connections through thoughtful planning and design.
Shaped by an inclusive planning process that brought together voices from across the Arlington community, the school’s design is organized around four programmatic wings linked by a central circulation spine. This layout integrates student-centered learning environments, strategic adjacencies, and community resources to support a broad range of educational and civic needs.
Arlington High School reflects A4LE’s core values of putting learners first, embracing diverse perspectives, fostering innovation and collaboration, and recognizing that place matters.
- Putting learners first: A variety of flexible, hands-on learning environments from a black box theater to a discourse lab for debate and discussion equip students with the necessary skills and experiences to succeed in higher education and future careers.
- Embracing diverse perspectives: Project areas, breakout spaces, and learning nooks interspersed throughout the school provide students with greater autonomy over how and where they learn.
- Fostering innovation and collaboration: Programmatic adjacencies within the four wings—STEAM, humanities, performing arts, and athletics—encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and resource sharing.
- Recognizing that place matters: Welcoming, light-filled interiors, outdoor learning spaces, and custom graphics create an educational environment that is both engaging for students and deeply connected to its community.
The LEED Platinum-certified project also advances Arlington’s sustainability goals, setting a precedent for environmentally responsible school design with strategies including daylighting, energy-efficient systems, low-carbon concrete, and diverse outdoor learning spaces.
We are proud to see Arlington High School recognized by A4LE and EDmarket for its commitment to student-centered, sustainable, and community-focused educational design.
“This building represents Arlington’s educational vision; to be an equitable educational community where all learners feel a sense of belonging, experience growth and joy, and are empowered to shape their own futures and contribute to a better world.”
Elizabeth Homan | Superintendent, Arlington Public Schools