Will the Best Schools of 2035 Look Nothing Like the Best Schools of Today?

Imagine visiting one of the world's best schools in 2035.

What would you expect to see?

Perhaps students working with advanced artificial intelligence, personalized learning systems, and technologies we can barely imagine today. Classrooms might look different, schedules more flexible, and the boundaries between school and the outside world less visible.

But perhaps the biggest difference will not be what we see when we enter the building.

It will be how we define a great school in the first place.

For decades, we have evaluated school excellence using familiar indicators: standardized test scores, academic rankings, university acceptances, advanced courses, competition results, and impressive facilities.

These measures have value. But as the world changes, we need to ask a more fundamental question:

Will the measures we use to identify excellent schools today still be sufficient in 2035?

Academic Excellence Will Still Matter, but It May No Longer Be Enough

I do not believe strong academics will become less important.

Students will still need to read deeply, write clearly, understand mathematics, develop scientific reasoning, and acquire substantial knowledge.

In fact, as artificial intelligence makes information easier to access and sophisticated work easier to produce, genuine understanding may become even more valuable.

A student who generates an impressive research paper with AI has not necessarily learned how to conduct research. A student who receives the correct mathematical answer from a digital tool may not understand the reasoning behind it.

The schools of 2035 will need to distinguish between what students can produce with assistance and what they genuinely understand.

But they must also move beyond measuring what students know to understanding what students can do with that knowledge.

Can they solve unfamiliar problems, evaluate conflicting information, collaborate effectively, and apply their learning to real-world challenges?

The OECD Learning Compass 2030 emphasizes not only knowledge and skills but also student agency, attitudes, values, and the ability to contribute responsibly to society.

Perhaps the best schools of 2035 will be recognized not simply for how much their students know, but for how effectively they can use what they know to make a difference.

Personalized Learning Could Redefine the Classroom

One of education's greatest challenges has always been meeting the needs of students who learn at different rates and have different strengths, interests, and needs.

Yet traditional school structures frequently organize learning around common schedules, grade levels, and pacing expectations.

Artificial intelligence and adaptive learning technologies could help schools respond more effectively to these differences.

Imagine a student advancing rapidly in mathematics while receiving additional support in writing, or another pursuing advanced scientific research while progressing at a different pace in other subjects.

By 2035, schools may have substantially greater capacity to personalize learning and provide appropriate academic challenges.

But personalization should not mean isolating students behind individual screens.

Some of the most meaningful learning happens through discussion, collaboration, disagreement, and shared experiences.

Technology should strengthen the relationship between teachers and students, not replace it.

The best schools may combine increasingly personalized academic pathways with an equally strong commitment to community and human connection.

Character Education May Become a Defining Feature

I believe one of the most important distinctions between good schools and truly exceptional schools in 2035 may be their commitment to character development.

Artificial intelligence is making extraordinary capabilities increasingly accessible. Students can generate sophisticated presentations, develop software, analyze complex information, and produce professional-quality work with relatively little technical experience.

But greater capability does not automatically produce better judgment.

Schools must help students develop the wisdom to decide not only what they can do, but what they should do.

Integrity, empathy, resilience, curiosity, and ethical responsibility may become even more important as technology grows more powerful.

This is an area particularly close to my heart.

I am proud of the commitment that Fulton Science Academy and ServePremier Education have made to character education, including our comprehensive ICARE Character Education Model, which emphasizes Integrity, Curiosity, Advocacy, Resiliency, and Empathy.

Through ICARE, we seek to make character development an integral part of the educational experience rather than an isolated program. These values shape school culture, relationships, leadership, and everyday decisions.

In 2022, Fulton Science Academy was recognized by Character.org as a National School of Character, reflecting years of intentional effort to build a school community grounded in shared values.

I am sincerely grateful to teachers, staff, school leaders, students, families, and everyone who contributed to this achievement and continues to bring these values to life. While the recognition is meaningful, the lasting impact on our students matters far more.

By 2035, I hope character education will be recognized as an essential measure of school excellence rather than an additional program.

Preparing Students for Peace and Civic Responsibility

There is another dimension of education that I believe deserves greater attention: preparing young people to contribute to a more peaceful, informed, and responsible society.

We are living through a period of significant global uncertainty. Armed conflicts, geopolitical tensions, political polarization, misinformation, and growing divisions within societies raise difficult questions about the world our students will inherit.

Technological progress alone will not resolve these challenges.

We can educate brilliant scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and future leaders. But without empathy, ethical judgment, and the ability to resolve disagreements peacefully, their knowledge and capabilities may not necessarily lead to a better world.

This is why I believe schools should consider strengthening peace education and civic education within their curricula.

Students should learn how civic institutions function, how to evaluate information critically, how to understand different cultural perspectives, and how to engage respectfully with people whose views differ from their own.

They should understand that disagreement does not have to lead to hostility and that meaningful dialogue requires both the confidence to express one's beliefs and the willingness to listen.

Peace education should not mean avoiding difficult conversations, nor should civic education become political indoctrination. Both should promote independent thinking, responsible citizenship, mutual respect, and constructive dialogue.

UNESCO's 2023 Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development reinforces the importance of these principles.

Perhaps by 2035, one measure of a truly exceptional school should be how well it prepares students not only to succeed in a competitive world, but also to help make that world more peaceful and just.

After all, what is the value of preparing students to shape the future if we do not also help them develop the wisdom to shape it well?

Will University Acceptances Still Define School Success?

Many excellent schools proudly highlight the universities their graduates attend.

That is understandable. University admissions can reflect years of academic preparation, student commitment, and strong educational opportunities.

But university acceptance is only one milestone.

What happens afterward?

Can students adapt when circumstances change? Are they prepared to collaborate, solve unfamiliar problems, and continue learning? Do they become capable, ethical individuals who contribute positively to society?

These outcomes are more difficult to measure than test scores or acceptance letters, but that does not make them less important.

The best schools of 2035 may need more thoughtful ways to understand long-term student success, including alumni experiences, meaningful accomplishments, and evidence of personal growth.

An exceptional school is not necessarily the one that admits the strongest students or spends the most money. It is one that helps its students grow exceptionally well.

The Teacher May Become Even More Important

Whenever we discuss the future of education, technology tends to dominate the conversation.

We imagine AI tutors, intelligent classrooms, and systems providing instant feedback.

But a great teacher does much more than deliver information.

Teachers recognize potential that students may not yet see in themselves. They notice when a student is struggling, encourage persistence, challenge assumptions, and help young people develop confidence and purpose.

A technology system may identify that a student is falling behind.

A caring teacher may understand why.

I believe the best schools of 2035 may not be those that automate the greatest number of educational tasks, but those that use technology to give excellent teachers more time to do what matters most.

What Should Schools Be Doing Today?

The year 2035 may sound distant, but students entering elementary school today will still be progressing through their education when it arrives.

Schools cannot wait until the future becomes obvious before preparing for it.

That does not mean abandoning proven educational practices or adopting every emerging technology.

It means asking better questions.

Are we developing deep understanding or primarily preparing students to perform well on assessments?

Are students learning to identify meaningful problems or mostly solving problems adults have already defined?

Are we intentionally developing character, curiosity, creativity, resilience, ethical judgment, and civic responsibility?

Are we preparing students to navigate disagreements respectfully and contribute to a more peaceful society?

And are we giving teachers the support and opportunities they need to thrive in a changing educational environment?

These questions deserve attention today, regardless of how quickly technology evolves.

The Best Schools May Look Different, but Their Purpose Should Remain the Same

I suspect some of the best schools of 2035 will look surprisingly familiar.

There will still be classrooms, teachers, books, laboratories, sports, music, friendships, difficult assignments, and moments of discovery.

Students will still need encouragement when they fail and guidance when they succeed.

What may change most dramatically is our understanding of what all these experiences should accomplish.

Academic rigor will remain essential, but it will be part of a broader definition of excellence.

Technology will create extraordinary possibilities, but its value will depend on how wisely schools use it.

And character, judgment, adaptability, civic responsibility, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to society may become increasingly important indicators of educational success.

After years of working in school leadership, I have come to believe that the greatest responsibility of a school is not simply to help students succeed in the next stage of education.

It is to prepare them for the much longer and less predictable journey beyond it.

Perhaps the best school of 2035 will not be the one that looks most futuristic. It will be the one that best understands what it means to prepare a young person for the future.

And that raises a question every school leader should be asking today:

If we were designing our school from the ground up for the students of 2035, how much of what we do today would we choose to keep?