Headline: Building Bridges, Literally: The Forge School

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Sara Tuttle believes education should be more than just textbooks and tests. It should also include building real-world skills, fostering a sense of belonging, and preparing students for thriving careers.

As the founder of The Forge School, Nashville’s first ever public school focused on architecture, construction, and engineering, Sara’s vision is to redefine secondary education by merging academic excellence with career and life readiness.

“Our tagline at The Forge School is: ‘We build,’” Sara explains. “Building of self-esteem, building of community, building relationships, academic skills, social skills, building of networks, and partnerships with an industry and further education. And we're going to lean into that from the very beginning here.”

Bridging College and Career Pathways

Sara shares that students can often feel compelled to choose between focusing on college preparation or getting themselves “career ready.” The Forge School plans to embrace both. When asked what problem she was attempting to solve with her design, Sara ultimately hopes to prove those two things can both be true.

“We've had this pendulum swing in education between career or college,” she says. “The Forge is really looking at being innovative and solving the problem that you can have both. There's a menu of opportunities and there is no right, wrong, or correct linear path to success that has to choose between those two things.”

At The Forge, students will graduate with real-world skills, industry certifications, and the ability to pursue either a four-year degree or high-paying trade jobs, particularly in industries like architecture, construction, and engineering. The demand for skilled professionals in these fields is skyrocketing, especially in a booming city like Nashville, which Sara sees as a real opportunity for The Forge to homegrown the engineers of the future.

“The Forge School is answering a call,” Sara shares. “For our kids here in Nashville to stay in their home communities with thriving families and sustaining wage careers that open doors and make them owners here in their home city.”

Sara’s model includes project-based, hands-on learning where the curriculum isn’t isolated to just the classroom, but applies to real-world experiences. In partnership with local architecture firms, construction companies, and engineering organizations, students will participate in internships and industry mentorship programs, getting a head start in their careers before they even graduate.

By integrating architecture, construction, and engineering (ACE) into everyday learning, students will gain hands-on experience with real-world building projects, develop problem-solving and design skills used by engineers and architects and even earn industry-recognized certifications to enter the workforce immediately.

Students can start with an HVAC certification and enter the workforce right away—or pursue a degree in construction management, architecture, or engineering. Every path is valid, and every student is supported.

”This is about a purpose-driven education where there's actually limitless outcomes for them. We're going to introduce them to jobs they probably didn't even know existed,” Sara shares. “This is an opportunity to understand what they could do with their education.”

Fostering Belonging from Sixth thru Twelfth

Unlike traditionally split middle and high schools, The Forge will serve grades 6 through 12, providing students, and parents, with a continuous and stable educational experience. “Offering six through 12 is something I would want for my own kids,” Sara says. “I know where I'm taking them. I know what the schedule is. I know that they get to meet the teachers they're going to have all the way down the line.” 

Sara describes how younger students will learn from older peers through mentorship, mirroring the apprenticeship model used in the architecture, construction, and engineering fields.

“It's a real natural thing for kids to learn from each other and they kind of prune those neurons of what is acceptable behavior and how we move in this circle together by watching and doing from peer mentors,” Sara says. “Mentorship is what is required in architecture, construction, and engineering industries, be it through apprenticeships, internships, working your way through different levels of expertise.”

“And so offering that breadth of six-twelve, with an intentionality of social emotional support and peer mentorship is at the real heart of The Forge.”

But industry-specific exposure and contextualized curriculum is only a part of the skills The Forge plans to offer. Sara emphasizes that beyond technical knowledge, The Forge School prioritizes “durable skills” —the essential abilities that help students succeed in any career or industry.

Students will learn communication and negotiation techniques, learning how to collaborate and problem solve to complete projects. They will also learn the importance of demonstrating fortitude and leadership, developing the resilience to work through challenges and take initiative. 

Sara also highlights understanding how to build relationships and work within a team, learning the art of collaboration.

“It's not only a deep understanding, it's a currency,” Sara shares. “What our kids are going to build is social capital, the ability to network, the ability to establish a community around them that they're creating belonging for others, that they understand the power of their belonging, that they understand what it is for servant leadership and to know what social capital can do.” 

Why Parents Should Choose The Forge School

If you want your child to thrive in a school that values blending high-quality academics with hands-on career preparation, The Forge School is the place for your child to thrive.

• A Clear Path to High-Paying Careers: Whether students pursue college or enter the workforce, they’ll graduate with industry-recognized certifications and hands-on experience in high-demand fields. 

• A School Where Every Student Feels a Sense of Belonging: The 6-12 model fosters deep relationships, mentorship, and a stable, supportive environment. “There's nothing more powerful than belonging. I think there's something really cool about offering families a real stability of experience and a sense of place for that whole secondary experience, “Sara says. “A natural belonging that comes from being part of that community.”

• Hands-On Learning That Makes School Engaging: Instead of memorizing facts, students will build, create, and problem-solve, applying knowledge in real-world settings.

• Strong Industry Connections & Work-Based Learning: Through partnerships with local businesses and professionals, students will intern, job-shadow, and connect with industry mentors before they graduate. “Everything from certificates to doctorates are on a construction job site. Let’s get kids ready to embrace and have these amazing wages and these amazing experiences and be a part of what's going up as much as they're served by it.”

• A Future-Focused Approach to Education: The Forge School is designed to prepare students for the evolving workforce, ensuring they graduate ready to lead, create, and innovate.

“The Forge is an opportunity for kids to take risks and for kids to know people from all walks of life and have different interests that compliment each other. To not only to be accepted, but to be accepting of each other with an intentionality and an open conversation,” Sara says. “That character growth, that moral compass, that making mistakes and rising back with dignity, that's a whole child education.”

How to Get Involved:

To learn more about The Forge School, opening Fall 2026, can visit TheForgeSchool.org or follow them on social media @TheForgeSchool.