Headmaster's Welcome

Welcome to Prairie School! Our goal is to develop humane, tolerant, creative, well-schooled, self-confident and environmentally aware leaders-"leaders of their own lives" -who will go forward to success in their university and graduate studies, lead their families, their professions, and their communities. This objective is embedded in all aspects of our Early School through 12th grade program.

Our students, "Expect challenge and achieve distinction." From Primary School forward, we emphasize participation, challenge and success within the "7 A's" : we develop Academic, Artistic, Athletic, Altruistic, Active, Accountable and Adaptable leaders. Prairie draws its teachers from a nationwide pool and they inure a love of active, engaged learning, joining intellectual curiosity and rigor with artistic exploration and athletic success to form solid, well-rounded graduates.

Our articulated Early School through 12th grade curriculum is carefully positioned to challenge each of our students to do their personal best and to assure them both admissions to and success within renowned colleges and universities throughout the nation. We are fortunate to graduate many National Merit Scholars, and our college placement program is the strongest in the area, helping our students find the right match. Our graduates regularly earn generous scholarship support for those studies and our alumni report that we prepared them well for success in their college studies. And, as the area's only child/learner-centered, college preparatory day school, we nurture and prepare students who may learn in different ways or at a different pace-so that they, too, experience success in their university studies.

We offer full-participation, no-cut inter-scholastic athletic teams in soccer, cross-country, basketball, tennis, baseball, golf, volleyball and track and field. Students in Early School through 8th grade have physical education each day. The Johnson Athletic Center provides our student state-of-the-art facilities, courts and fields, and within them superb fitness, training, dance, and conditioning opportunities.

Every child at Prairie is involved in the arts. Our fine, creative, and performing arts program is regionally renowned. Opportunities exist in vocal and instrumental music, the visual and performing arts, and in theater. The theater department produces Middle and Upper School dramatic and musical theater productions each year. The School's studio arts program is highly respected in the region, offering courses in drawing, painting, pottery, glass blowing and photography-to highlight a few. All experiences in the arts add quality to a student's education at our School.

So, if this is your first investigation into Prairie School, I welcome you as you examine our website. But, that's not enough. I invite you to campus! You will be amazed at what you find.