The Loom School is coming!
A loom is a frame — the structure that holds many threads together and weaves them into something more beautiful than any one thread could be on its own. That's what we believe a school should do.
Most schools are designed to manage children. The Loom is designed to trust them.
ARC Studio School has been building toward this for three years — an Ottawa-rooted, non-profit independent school, JK–Grade 8, with Grade 9 launching in the fall of 2027.
The Loom School is built for learners who need more ownership, more purpose, and a community where they matter.
Our child is genuinely seen and known, and that creates a school experience that feels profoundly different.
– Clare, parent of an Early Years learner
Ottawa's Studio School
At The Loom, learners take on real, open-ended challenges — the kind without a right answer at the back of the book. They research, make, fail, iterate, and arrive somewhere through their own effort.
Every session ends with an Exhibition: learners present what they built, and the thinking behind it, to families, community members, and experts. Ottawa isn't a backdrop to this work. It's a partner.
Strong foundations in reading, writing, and math — in both English and French — aren't separate from that work. They're what make it possible. Guides don't lecture; they ask questions, offer challenges, and meet learners where they are.
We did a three-day trial and he was hooked;
he didn't even want to wait until the next session to start.
– Kate, parent of an Elementary learner