Swan Meadow School

Swan Meadow School is one of Garrett County's smallest public schools, serving kindergarten through eighth grade in the Gortner farming community south of Oakland. The school sits at 6709 Garrett Highway and serves farm families of several faiths, including many Amish and Mennonite households.

A Schoolhouse Built by Its Families

Swan Meadow began as a one-room schoolhouse in the late 1800s, built for local farming families. When that building grew too small, families built a second school, and they went on to design and build newer, larger buildings in 1958 and again in the 1990s, following county requirements at a fraction of the usual cost. That do-it-together spirit shows in the school's motto: "School + Home + Community = Student Excellence."

Multi-Grade Classrooms

Students learn in three multi-grade classrooms, so younger and older children share a room and a teacher across several grade levels. Lessons follow the same Maryland standards as other county public schools in math, science, social studies and language arts, and visiting staff provide music, physical education and guidance. Specialists such as resource teachers, a counselor, a special education teacher and a nurse also serve the school part time.

Hands-On and Outdoors

Science often moves outside. Students have built a low-tunnel greenhouse, planted a wildflower meadow and monarch butterfly habitat, and taken water samples from a nearby creek for a stream restoration project. The parent-teacher organization's annual Harvest Sale is a long-running community tradition that helps fund classroom needs.

If your family is moving to the Gortner area and wants to know whether Swan Meadow serves your address, the school office can help.

Call Us!

• Website
• (301) 334-2059