History
In 1971, a group of visionary parents and educators — led by the young Paul Bianchi, who had just completed his own education at Harvard — was willing to risk pursuing children’s learning differently, driven by a love of education and the “more” that it could do to benefit students.
A New School
The result was a new independent school in Atlanta, one intentionally independent in its spirit, whose mission would be to provide children with what they arguably need most: a personalized education, one recognizing that students not only have different interests and learning styles; they also progress at different rates.
“Build it and . . .”
Realizing the dream for this school required three key assets: people, in the form of parents, teachers and students; money; and a location. As Paul Bianchi recalled, “When I was asked to do this job in November 1970, we had only one of those things, parents, and not very many of those, maybe 10 or 15. There were no students signed up, no money at all, no faculty, and not a clue about where the school was going to be located.”
Potential locations included Callanwolde (too expensive), churches, warehouses on Monroe Drive and an empty grocery store in Decatur. Eventually, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue beckoned — a Tudor-style mansion that was only $600 a month with two years of rent applying toward the option of buying for $125,000. Sold!
Following dozens of meetings with prospective parents, the school opened with 145 students ages 2 1⁄2 to 13, and 96% of them returned the next year. Notes Bianchi, “In some sense, we were lucky — this was the right kind of school, at the right time, in a right neighborhood, and we lucked out with a building on a street nobody cared much about until we got here.”
Today
Today, that school — Paideia — is the leading progressive school in the Southeast with a 50-plus-year record of being a transformational place for Atlanta’s children to learn.
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The word “Paideia” (pie-DAY-uh) is one of those words from ancient Greek that doesn’t have a simple or straightforward translation.
The word “Paideia” encompasses the idea of a total and complete education, an education far deeper than just the transmission of information. It means that we care deeply about belonging and character as part of the development of personhood. Further, it also asks that we recognize that education is a lifelong process, not simply a means to an end. Beyond all of this, though, the word represents the way a community comes together to share in the sacred obligation of the education of our young people.
At Paideia, we strive each day to live into the values represented by our name. Children join teachers in collectively building transformative educational spaces capable of fostering a lasting and deep joy of learning.
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Still the “right kind of school”
For Bianchi, “the best creation story is one that lives on,” and Paideia impressively has. Yet the values animating it have remained deliberately the same, among them:
We believe
the measure of a school is the success it demonstrates with each child.
We believe
in the primacy of teaching. How could anything matter more?
We believe
that education should develop heart and mind.
We believe
in the power of a community in raising a child.
We believe
in creating a fair, safe and welcoming environment.
We believe
in joy.
Paul Bianchi 1945-2025
Paul led The Paideia School from its founding in 1971 until his retirement in 2023, shaping its identity as a school that values curiosity, compassion, and community. What began as a dream shared by a small group of parents and a young educator became one of the nation’s most respected independent schools, due in large part to Paul’s vision, tenacity, and humanity.