Maharishi School

Maharishi School, one of America’s most unique and progressive schools. What began in 1981 as a single innovative school is now the model for a special kind of holistic education around the world. At Maharishi School, the foundation of our college preparatory program is optimal alertness. You could have the most ideal school imaginable—best teachers, best facilities, best curriculum, and technology—but if students enter the classroom stressed, fatigued, or distracted, how much can be gained?

What if there was a way to optimize students’ alertness? Every aspect of school life would be enhanced: assimilating and retaining knowledge, social and emotional development, physical health and well-being. That is why at Maharishi School we invest in rest—of a special kind. Our students and teachers take time to transcend twice a day, with the practice of yoga and Transcendental Meditation. This allows them to gain deep rest and dissolve stress before it accumulates. It improves brain functioning. In a world of nearly incessant outer stimuli, it gives them a respite of inner silence, a connection with their own individual true self.

Through our unique program that is part theory, part practice, students learn to operate from a place of center. They learn how to imbue life with stillness, self-awareness, and presence. This lays the foundation for academic success and prepares students for all areas of future life. Our goal is to help our students be the best version of themselves—starting with knowing who they are.

We offer AP exams to prepare our students for college-level work and Honors classes to promote original work. Our students also have a unique interdisciplinary course called the Science of Creative Intelligence where they see underlying, universal principles that are common to the structure and functioning of all aspects of life—their academic subjects, in nature, and in themselves. Students make connections between all the surface details and the big ideas.

Our students are awake. They are dynamic. We want to help them unleash their creativity, and that’s where Project-Based Learning serves them best. Our Project Period gives students 70 minutes every day to explore their passions, whether in a teacher designed project or one they have proposed as an independent or small group project. They problem-solve, they experiment, they falter and keep trying. They are exercising real-life skills in areas of interest, supported by teachers, community experts, and/or online resources. Project Period is another doorway to finding oneself. It’s another place where individuality is honored and encouraged.

Maharishi School students awaken hidden potentials and accomplish audacious goals. Our alumni have gone on to prestigious universities such as MIT, Stanford, Middlebury, and Oxford. They boast achievements in renowned international competitions like INTEL Science and Engineering Fair and Destination Imagination’s Global Finals. The daily practice of Transcendental Meditation also helps to keep life in check so our students can just be happy with themselves regardless of the competitions, goals, or pressure they will face.

We’re small. All the students know each other. Teachers know all the students. And the small class sizes create a learning environment where every relationship matters and every voice is encouraged and expected. Students from 30 countries have walked through our doors allowing for a rich mosaic of perspectives and preferences.

Beyond our doorstep lies Fairfield, a small, safe community stitched together with progressive values and people from all over the world. Smithsonian Magazine recently named Fairfield one of the “Top Small Towns in America to Visit.” It’s so special that Oprah herself came to visit Fairfield and Maharishi School and slipped into a meditation seat next to our students. This intimate and inclusive setting makes Maharishi School a very special home away from home.

Maharishi School’s vision of holistic education encompasses not just an array of academic subjects and extracurricular pursuits, but also a focus on character development from outer examples and training. We are committed to drawing out the phenomenal gifts and potential in each person’s inner self. Our mission is to create an innovative Consciousness-Based educational environment where students think deeply and become creative, compassionate, contributing citizens of the world. Core values:

• In our words and action, we treat others with the respect we want and expect.
• We accept responsibility for our own thoughts, words, and actions.
• We seek ways to serve others and to be good stewards of our environment.
• Whenever confronted by challenges or problems, we seek creative solutions. “Don’t agonize, organize.”
• Our daily practice of Transcendental Meditation builds depth in our thinking and provides the support of Natural Law to fulfill our goals, desires, and Core Values.