Next Generation Learning
This school environment supports collaboration, creativity, and outdoor learning for military children and families.
Hanscom Middle School
Hanscom Air Force Base, MA
Hanscom Primary School at Hanscom Air Force Base serves the children of U.S. military families, offering an educational foundation rooted in adaptability, resilience, and innovation. As part of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), the school advances the DoDEA’s global initiative to create learning environments that reflect the principles of “21st Century Learning.”
The previous facility could no longer support the educational model’s emphasis on collaboration, project-based learning, and integrated instruction. The DoDEA needed a new school that would align with its vision—one that promoted critical thinking, creativity, communication, and citizenship in a flexible, student-centered setting.
The new school responds to this challenge by organizing classrooms into small, flexible “learning studios” that support one-on-one instruction, group work, and team teaching. These studios connect to larger shared spaces and communal areas, establishing a cohesive environment that fosters interaction across grades and disciplines.
The design also prioritizes outdoor engagement, with each learning studio positioned just steps from natural ecosystems to support environmental education and outdoor learning experiences.
As a result, Hanscom Primary School sets a new standard for military base education—delivering a dynamic and inclusive environment that helps young learners grow academically, socially, and emotionally within a supportive learning community.
