Classroom Revolutionary

What if school weren’t just about grades, tests, and rigid schedules? At Community Lab School, Chad Ratliff is turning that question into a revolutionary reality. The school’s principal since 2017, Ratliff is leading the charge in designing a model that prioritizes project-based, interdisciplinary, and experiential learning.
“We’re not interested in doing school the way it’s always been done,” Ratliff says. “What we’re trying to prove is that you don’t have to sacrifice rigor to build an environment where students love to learn.”
Ratliff’s vision for the school stems from his conviction that the middle school years, often seen as a transitional holding period, can instead be a time of profound growth. “This is the second most critical developmental stage in a person’s life, after birth to age three,” he explains. “Traditional models often strip away choice and agency—exactly what early adolescents need to thrive.”
Students work on interdisciplinary projects that connect math, science, and humanities to real-world challenges—a learning environment that could inform schools far beyond Albemarle County. Students track their progress through portfolios rather than just numeric grades, building confidence and independence. “We aim to teach students not just content, but how to learn, collaborate, and explore their intellectual curiosities,” Ratliff says.
Community Lab School is beginning to implement a very similar approach in grades 9-12 and is already seeing positive results. While this innovative approach is bolstered by research partnerships with institutions like UVA and Stanford, Ratliff also credits much of the school’s success to its teachers. “This whole model is built on trust and teacher leadership,” he says. “My role is to create the conditions for them to thrive.”