About
History
Beginnings from 1888Early History
Much of University School of Nashville’s legacy as a leader in independent school education can be traced to its history as Winthrop Model School and Peabody Demonstration School.
Founded in 1888 by the Peabody Board of Trustees on the University of Nashville campus, then home to the State Normal College for teachers, the Winthrop Model School was named for Robert Winthrop, the president of the Peabody Fund, which was created by George Peabody after the Civil War to improve education in the South. To quote Paul Conkin’s history Peabody College, “The Winthrop Model School did not allow practice teaching, only observation. [Peabody Normal College President W.H. Payne] wanted a level of artful instruction that far surpassed what a beginning student could offer.”
1915 FoundationsPeabody Demonstration School
But by 1913, the Winthrop School had lost the support of what had become George Peabody College for Teachers, which had left the old campus. The Winthrop School’s last graduating class numbered only 28.
In 1915, planned and led by Dr. Thomas Alexander, Peabody Demonstration School was founded on Peabody's new campus on 21st Avenue, combining the old observational method favored by Payne and the new experimental methods of teacher training. At first the school was located in the basement of the Jesup Psychological Building. In 1925 the present building, designed in the classical style by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, was completed on Edgehill Avenue.
The colors of Peabody Demonstration School and its successor University School of Nashville are the same as those of its ancestor, the University of Nashville: garnet and Columbia blue.
In 1915, planned and led by Dr. Thomas Alexander, Peabody Demonstration School was founded on Peabody's new campus on 21st Avenue, combining the old observational method favored by Payne and the new experimental methods of teacher training. At first the school was located in the basement of the Jesup Psychological Building. In 1925 the present building, designed in the classical style by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, was completed on Edgehill Avenue.
The colors of Peabody Demonstration School and its successor University School of Nashville are the same as those of its ancestor, the University of Nashville: garnet and Columbia blue.
Peabody Demonstration School quickly earned an excellent reputation for its curriculum and faculty. It also gained respect for its early commitment to diversity, which remains a defining strength of a USN education.
PDS to USN, 1975University School of Nashville
When Peabody College decided to close the Demonstration School in 1974, a group of parents, alumni, students, and teachers formed University School of Nashville on the Demonstration School campus with almost all of the demonstration school students and teachers, dedicating the new institution to continuing the school's historic legacy. Today, University School is the educational home of nearly 1,100 students and more than 200 full-time faculty and staff.
USN’s legacy of excellence continues in its faculty, which is consistently listed by students, parents, and alumni as University School’s greatest strength. In addition to superb academic training, USN’s teachers bring to their classrooms an abiding belief in the importance of attention to the individual student.
USN’s legacy of excellence continues in its faculty, which is consistently listed by students, parents, and alumni as University School’s greatest strength. In addition to superb academic training, USN’s teachers bring to their classrooms an abiding belief in the importance of attention to the individual student.
PDS/USN Through the YearsExcerpts from the Archives
Read historical articles from 2000 Edgehill, the magazine of Peabody Demonstration School and University School of Nashville.
List of 3 items.
-
Momentous Memories
- PDS Becomes USN
As Peabody College plan to close the demonstration school, parents and teachers transition it to become University School of Nashville. - The Great Fire of 1954
Charlie Appleton PDS '56 tells the story of the disastrous fire that struck the heart of the school.
-
Our Evolving Campus & Neighborhood
- The Places We Miss
Our campus has changed, and we miss some of the old places that have vanished with time. - Our Neighborhood Before Peabody College Arrived
An alumnus looks at the neighborhood before it was our neighborhood. - 85 Years Ago at 2000 Edgehill
Learn who paid for the 1925 Demonstration School building and what it was like to be a student here then.
-
The Student Experience
- HS Students Write about Their School in 1970
We discovered a batch of letters written by students in 1970 to Dr. Thomas Alexander, founder of PDS. - A Student's Scrapbook in the Early Days
Learn about life at Peabody in these extracts from the memory book kept by Eleanor Brown PDS '21. - The Cooperative Student Council, 1926-1927
Students at PDS took their responsibilities seriously most of the time. We read the minutes of their student council meetings.
Centennial Timeline100 Years of PDS/USN
Explore our school history in this interactive timeline created by our archival team in 2015 as part of our centennial celebrations.
-
Curriculum
13 grades, unlimited possibilities. -
Creativity
Creativity, inspiration, collaboration. -
Competition
Transformational teamwork.
Contact USN
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.