A microcosm of the world’s most architecturally significant K-12 schools, RECORD’s annual review looks at recent projects that exemplify good design as a crucial component in a school’s programmatic development. From an inner-city grade school in New York and a bucolic one on Washington’s Bainbridge Island, to a progressive high school for 1,200 students in Beijing, each demonstrates the value that thoughtful and sustainable architecture can have for the well-being of a community and the education of its children.