Admission

25 Things to Love About Bullis

Balance

If we’ve learned anything from the film “Race to Nowhere” and similar books and studies, it’s that students thrive when academics are balanced with fun and other activities, so students have time to devote energy to all of these important childhood priorities. At Bullis, balance is the essence of our program.

Community

We build community every day. Teachers eat with students in the Lower and Middle Schools to facilitate conversation and build relationships. Peer mentors and senior buddies connect with other students for support and fun. Students encourage each other and appreciate the various skills, backgrounds and talents that each brings to campus.

Explore

At Bullis, you will try new things, perhaps even something you may not have considered before. Singing, art, a new sport…whatever you try, you’ll meet new people and discover new things about yourself. Every student has a great story to tell of the positive results of stepping out of a comfort zone to try something new.

Faculty

Bullis teachers get to know their students both inside and outside the classroom. They set high expectations, and challenge and support each individual student.

Spirit

Will you be on the Blue team or the Gold team? We cheer for our color team, but we all cheer for Bullis—loudly and with enthusiasm. This year our teams gave us lots to cheer about—three league or tournament championships in one season alone! We sport our colors on and off campus, and proudly display our Bulldog spirit every day.

Campus

At 102 acres, Bullis is the largest independent school campus for grades 3-12 in the metro area. This gives everyone plenty of space to spread out and have a good time—relax with friends, take a quiet break or play a pick-up game of football or Frisbee. We have plenty of space to expand and explore without getting lost.

Academics

You’ll work hard and enjoy learning. Knowing your day is full, teachers assign manageable homework. You will graduate from Bullis confident in your academic knowledge and prepared with the academic skills to succeed in college and beyond.

Arts

Sing or play an instrument. Join the cast of a play or musical. Perform at the Jazz Café or bi-annual dance shows. Create on canvas or in the darkroom or on the wheel. Work behind-the-scenes on scenery, lighting or stage management. At The Blair Family Center for the arts, you’ll find friends who share your passion and teachers who will support and inspire you.

Athletics

Twenty-five teams provide ample opportunity for every student—no matter your skill level—to participate. Whether you’re trying a new sport or honing your skills, you’ll find knowledgeable coaches, great facilities and teammates to make every experience fun and rewarding.

Diversity

Bullis is one of the most diverse schools in the area. Split fairly evenly between boys and girls, we are also 31% students of color and 9% foreign nationals. The student body represents every religious orientation and supports individual choices in sexual orientation. More than a quarter of our students take the bus to school every day, and many travel long distances to come to Bullis.

Facilities

From our 2,000 seat Kline Stadium to the 750-seat Howard auditorium in The Blair Family Center for the Arts and our new Academic Center in The Marriott Family Library, and in every other building, tennis court, baseball field and lawn, our campus has the ideal facilities for learning, play, arts and athletics.

Small and Big

Small classes on a roomy campus. Teams where everyone can play and plenty of them to choose from. A close-knit community where you quickly make friends, and still find more people to meet through new activities and programs. Bullis combines small and big every day—you get the best of both worlds.

Creative Classes

Build a Facebook page for history. Take a minimester for English, studying horror movies or the poetry of rock music. Start your own business for economics. Learn calculus in a “flipped classroom.” Every day, teachers and students work together to make learning fun, applicable to everyday life and more meaningful for everyone.

The Right College Match

Our counselors work closely with you to determine which school is best for you. The Class of 2011’s acceptances included a wide range of schools from Amherst and Columbia to Middlebury, NYU, Lafayette, Emory, Penn State, Berklee College of Music and many more. We value the diversity of schools our graduates attend, not just the “elite schools.” Download a list of college acceptances for the Class of 2012

Community Service

We have no requirement for community service—our students get involved because they genuinely want to. Visits to childcare centers and nursing homes and homeless shelters, toy drives and book drives and cereal drives, building libraries and homes or providing Thanksgiving to needy families in our community—Bullis is helping out nearly every day. See the video.

See the World

Our Global Studies and Service program each year coordinates trips to travel, perform, study and serve around the world during spring break, in the summer or for senior projects. This year Bullis students will travel to Genoa for the Model UN conference, to the Prague Music Festival and to Italy for the Roncalli Theatre Festival. They will study in Peru and serve with International Habitat for Humanity, Caring for Cambodia and Learn-Serve in Paraguay and Zambia.

Outside-the-norm Activities

There’s always something exciting happening at Bullis. You can study martial arts with a grand master from China. Escape “Beyond the Books” or enjoy “Community Day,” a surprise day-off from regular school activities to strengthen class bonds or take a break from academics to discuss social issues and making positive choices when faced with the many challenges students encounter every day.

Green

Bullis received an award from Bethesda Magazine for our green program, which includes being 100% wind- and solar-powered, growing produce in our organic garden for the dining hall, participating in the Day School Green Challenge, cleaning up neighborhood parks and ranking 4th in the country for our use of renewable energy by the EPA in its Green Power Partnership.

Lunch

Our dining hall offers options for even the pickiest eaters. Try something from the hot bar, or make your own salad using produce from our organic garden on campus. Make a sandwich or bagel, have a bowl of cereal, grab a yogurt or fresh fruit. And yes, we always offer dessert!

Academic Center

This year a new Academic Center was added to our Marriott Family Library to provide support to any student seeking a bit of extra help or a quiet place to study. Staffed with a fulltime learning specialist and media specialist, the Center also has a Writing Lab and teachers who rotate throughout the day to provide help to any student, any time.