When we talk about schools, we often fall into a familiar trap: bigger is better. Larger schools are assumed to offer more opportunities, more programs, and more prestige. They have the big orchestra, the expansive athletics program, the endless list of electives and extracurriculars. Smaller schools, by comparison, are sometimes cast in the shadows as if their size is a weakness to explain away. But after five years of serving as Principal of an intentionally small international school, I’ve learned something very different: small schools should never apologize for their size. In fact, their smallness is their greatest strength.
Before I joined Frankfurt International School’s Wiesbaden Campus, I had worked in moderately large schools with multiple homerooms at each grade level. Within my first few months at Wiesbaden, I found myself apologizing to prospective families for what we didn’t have: a large orchestra, a plethora of clubs, or multiple sports teams. I carried the assumption that small meant lacking. Lamenting this to a mentor of mine who had long experience in small schools, she gave me advice I’ll never forget, “Jeremy, your school’s size isn’t a weakness. It’s a gift. Talk about what it enables, not what it lacks.” That single piece of wisdom shifted my perspective, and it has shaped the way I lead ever since.
Small Schools as Hotbeds of Innovation
In a large school, even the simplest changes can feel like turning a massive ship—slow, cumbersome, and weighed down by layers of decision-making. Small schools, on the other hand, are nimble. When a new idea emerges, whether it’s rethinking the schedule to build in flex time, piloting a new math curriculum, or trying out a different way to integrate technology, it doesn’t take years to get off the ground. Teachers and leaders can design, implement, and adjust quickly, often with immediate feedback from students and families.
That nimbleness creates the perfect environment for innovation. Instead of being reactive, small schools can be proactive, shaping educational practices that others often look to adopt later. Far from being behind, small schools are frequently ahead of the curve.
Personalized Learning: More Than a Buzzword
In many larger schools, “personalized learning” shows up as a strategic priority or a talking point on a website. But in a small school, it is woven into daily life. Teachers don’t just know their students’ test scores, they know their learning quirks, their passions, their challenges, and the things that spark joy. A science teacher may also coach a sport or lead an after-school activity, deepening the connection beyond the classroom. That layered knowledge allows teachers to meet students exactly where they are.
I’ve seen teachers adjust not just lessons, but entire approaches, because they know their students so well. A student fascinated by engineering might get to design a model bridge in math class; another who is anxious about transitions might be offered a quiet check-in before the day begins. In small schools, these adjustments don’t require special programs, they are simply part of how we do school. Small schools are places where every child is truly seen. And that is something no standardized system can replicate.
Belonging in a Small Community
If you ask families what they most value in a small school, the word “community” almost always comes up. Consider a middle school student in a division of 50–60 peers. At first glance, their options for friendship groups seem limited compared to a school with hundreds of students. But smallness forces something important—students can’t simply escape into endless friendship groups when disagreements arise. They confront differences, work through conflicts, and learn to build connections across lines of personality, interest, and culture.
In the process, students discover that belonging doesn’t come from finding a group of people exactly like you, it comes from learning how to live, work, and grow with people who are different. The depth of these relationships often surprises visitors. Students know each other not just as classmates, but as individuals who matter in the life of the community.
This is particularly powerful in international schools, where diversity of culture, language, and background is already present. Small schools magnify the opportunities for students to develop empathy, resilience, and the ability to connect meaningfully across differences, skills that are desperately needed in our fractured world.
Small Schools Don’t “Make Do”—They Redefine Success
It’s tempting for small schools to measure themselves against their larger peers, to explain why they don’t have a marching band or to apologize for offering one varsity soccer team instead of three. But those comparisons miss the point. Small schools are not trying to replicate large schools on a smaller scale. They are redefining success altogether. In place of vast programs, they offer intimacy. Instead of a hundred electives, they offer agility to design new opportunities on demand. Instead of scale, they provide depth.
I’ve seen students in my own school take on leadership roles that might never be available to them in a larger environment. Roles that might be out of reach in a bigger school—leading an initiative, organizing an event, or speaking for the student body—become authentic opportunities for growth in a smaller setting; the lead in the play isn’t only for the seasoned performers. Students step up, stretch themselves, and discover what they’re capable of because in a small school, their voice and contributions are essential.
Leading a Global Movement
This isn’t just my school’s story. Across the world, small schools are embracing their power and rethinking what it means to be “enough.” As Chair of the Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS) Intentionally Small Schools Special Interest Group, I’ve had the privilege of connecting with leaders who share this vision.
Together, we’re building a network that champions the unique strengths of small schools. We’re telling the story that size is not a deficit, it’s a design. And when done intentionally, it is a design that produces confident, adaptable, empathetic learners who are prepared not just for the next grade, but for the complexities of the world they will inherit.
Lessons for Larger Schools
It’s worth pausing here to offer inspiration to those in larger schools. The strengths of small schools are not limited to places with a few hundred students; many of their principles can be intentionally designed into larger systems. One day, I may find myself back leading in a bigger school, and if I do, I’ll carry with me the lessons I’ve learned in an intentionally small setting. With the right mindset, even large schools can feel smaller, more personal, and more connected.
Some ways to bring that “small school magic” into bigger contexts include:
Advisory and House Systems: Advisory groups or house systems create smaller communities within a large school, ensuring that every student is truly known and has a sense of belonging.
Cross-Age Connections: Small schools naturally foster interactions across grade levels. Larger schools can build buddy programs or mentoring systems (for example, Grade 8 students paired with younger grades) to replicate this relational depth.
Inclusive Traditions: Whole-community traditions thrive in small schools, but larger schools can design grade-level or division-based rituals and events that foster the same sense of belonging.
Teacher Collaboration: In small schools, teachers wear many hats and collaborate across subjects and grade levels. Larger schools can intentionally create interdisciplinary teams or co-teaching models to break down silos and strengthen professional connections.
Student Voice Committees: Small schools often involve students in decision-making directly. Larger schools can establish student advisory boards or feedback committees that empower students to shape the culture and policies that affect them.
Distributed Leadership: Small schools depend on teachers stepping into leadership roles beyond their classrooms. Larger schools can cultivate similar ownership by creating formal and informal teacher leadership pathways that extend beyond department chairs or grade-level leads.
These aren’t simply structural add-ons. They are cultural commitments, ways for larger schools to humanize their scale and bring the intimacy, adaptability, and community focus of small schools into their daily practice.
Small Is Powerful
At the end of the day, the question isn’t whether small schools can compete with big ones. The question is whether we can afford to overlook what small schools offer. Because when every student is known, when learning is personalized, when innovation thrives, and when belonging is not an abstract idea but a daily reality, small schools show us that education is not about scale. It’s about people. And in that sense, small isn’t just enough. Small is powerful.
Dr. Jeremy Majeski is the Principal of Frankfurt International School’s Wiesbaden Campus, where he leads with a focus on personalized learning, belonging, and leadership. With over two decades of experience in education—ranging from public schools in the United States of America to international schools in Europe—he is committed to building school cultures where students and educators feel seen, supported, and inspired. Jeremy also teaches graduate-level courses in education and writes about leadership, school culture, and innovation in learning.
