University Prep

At University Prep, extraordinary relationships between students and teachers are a given. Founded forty years ago by seven teachers who shared a passion for collaboration, we have grown to become a campus with over 500 students and more than 100 faculty and staff. We invite students down a path of critical inquiry and embrace diverse perspectives in our inclusive community. Our unique location in North Seattle fosters an educational experience filled with opportunities to engage with the city as well as enjoy the peaceful setting of the Picardo P-Patch. Additionally, having Dahl Field adjoining our campus allows us to have classes, games, and practices right at our feet. We invite you to visit and experience the UPrep difference.

University Prep does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, disability, use of a trained service animal, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to admissions and administration of all of its programs, as well as to all areas of employment.

University Prep is a school community with a remarkable history and story. Our seven enterprising founders envisioned a school where intellectual courage, social responsibility and global citizenship would reside front and center to help each student reach their potential. The ethos of our community has remained constant over time, while our program continues to evolve in line with contemporary educational research and best practices. You will never hear the phrase, “we’ve always done it this way.” Instead, you will enter a community that asks “what if” and “how might we.”

Include, invent, and inspire are our core principles for how we approach teaching and learning. A community-wide strategic planning process begun in 2016yielded a bold, ambitious and nationally recognized strategic plan with the aim of transforming the learning experience for our students.

University Prep's mission compels us to train and educate the next generation of leaders who will create impact and change in an interdependent, complex, and global community. Our students need to see, hear, and understand the diversity of people, perspectives and points of view around them and the world they will lead in the years ahead. Essential to this proposition is the ability of our students to identify, analyze, and act on issues of equity, justice, and inclusion. Our world demands it.

University Prep is proud of its diverse learners, and plurality of cultures and backgrounds. By exposing our students, faculty, and staff to different perspectives in their everyday learning, our community members become more intellectually courageous, better understand their own identities and the identities of others, and become socially responsible contributors. We aspire to be a diverse, inclusive, and equitable educational community that creates and sustains a shared sense of belonging and mutual respect. We seek to instill students with a sense of creativity and intellectual courage, preparing them to be champions of social justice and effective citizens in a globalized world.

We support our mission by creating experiences for our students to come face-to-face with the issues playing out in society and by allowing them the room to grow in their own identity development. From our annual Social Justice Day to classroom assignments, equity, justice, and inclusion are embedded in all that we do. Our monthly Community Conversations in the Upper School, led by student facilitators, offer a regular forum to embrace and confront challenging issues.

How do people communicate? How does an historian think? Why is art important? What is healthy living? Why does culture matter? University Prep students pursue a course of study designed for deep inquiry in the broad range of topics needed to understand today’s world. The curriculum provides many opportunities for advanced study and personal support to help students reach their full potential. Students receive outstanding preparation for their next steps, develop interests, and pursue passions.

Early in one’s UPrep career, required courses provide a common experience that includes research, reading, writing, computation, presentation, role play, and experimentation. In later years, the curriculum broadens until, for seniors, every course is elective. Our elective catalog includes over 100 courses: Big Data and Analytics, Storytelling, Waves and Optics, Art and Social Change, and many more. These include Global Online Academy's catalog of contemporary subjects.

The UPrep faculty works tirelessly to review and revise the school curriculum. The result is a sophisticated, thoughtful approach to teaching and learning. Every teacher participates in an ongoing, repeated cycle of professional improvement focused on the student’s educational experience. New courses are developed each year, including such titles as Game Design, Social Entrepreneurship, States United, and Science Olympiad. We are currently developing new educational opportunities under the name Next Generation Learning, as part of our new strategic plan.

The offices of College Counseling, Student Support, Global Programs, Library Services, and Technology provide specialized services to enhance the academic experience. Our specialists are nationally recognized for their innovation and dedicated service to students.