Sandia Preparatory School

At Sandia Preparatory School we provide remarkable opportunities for intellectual and personal growth within a challenging and balanced program for students in grades 6 - 12. Our innovative college prep curriculum prepares students for success in college and beyond, and inspires each to find and achieve his or her purpose in the world.

As an independent private school, Sandia Prep is free to let passionate teachers create rich educational experiences that meet each student's individual needs and to offer the academic and co-curricular programs that best serve our students.

The joy of learning and living is at the center of all we do. Sandia Preparatory School provides remarkable opportunities for intellectual and personal growth within a challenging and balanced program. As an extension of our families, Sandia Prep's diverse community inspires students to find their academic focus, talents, and creativity.

For more than 50 years Sandia Prep, an independent, private school, has offered Albuquerque’s families a distinctive choice when it comes to a college prep education. The college counseling process begins in the ninth grade, 100% of our seniors are accepted to four-year colleges, and our graduates attend prestigious colleges such as Harvard, Brown, Yale, Bowdoin, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

While our academics and accomplishments set us apart from many schools in Albuquerque, there is more to us than grades, scholarships, and prestige. Students are surrounded by experienced, enthusiastic teachers who are continually improving their craft. Teachers are expected to learn and develop their skills in today’s changing world of education.

We believe in one-on-one, individualized attention. This is why we maintain a 7:1 student: teacher ratio with an average class size of 15. Remarkable opportunities abound, not only academically, but also through programs that grow all aspects of a student’s passions and personality.

Sandia Prep has always stood apart by offering a unique array of rigorous courses that challenge students and motivate learning. Our advanced curriculum is tailored to our students, not a standardized test. At our Upper School level, courses are advanced and considered equally rigorous to AP courses, with many comparable to introductory college classes. We are a founding member of the Independent Curriculum Group, as we prize our independence and innovation too highly to ask our teachers to use a nationally standardized curriculum.

Our independent curriculum promotes deep, student-centered learning in the classroom as well as beyond the classroom. Our innovative curriculum distinguishes our 100% college-bound seniors as among the best prepared in the nation.

Our Middle School is a lively place where students develop meaningful relationships with teachers and with their fellow students. We believe this web of relationships makes it possible for our students to take risks in a variety of areas. They can learn where their talents lie and develop the skills they need to grow intellectually and academically.

We believe it is important for middle school students to learn skills in context. In particular, we teach critical thinking and study skills in each discipline rather than teaching them individually. At Sandia Prep, we want our students to discover the connections between subjects and to use these discoveries to explore and understand the world around them.

Our Upper School curriculum is designed to provide students with the opportunity to test their talents and to develop their skills in a variety of academic disciplines. We require students to take courses in English, Science, History, Mathematics, Modern Languages, Fine Arts, Digital Media and Communications, and Physical Education.

We also offer students the opportunity to pursue their academic interests in depth either in elective courses in the various disciplines, including engineering and coding, independent study, our Odyssey Scholars Program, and Entrepreneurial Studies. Students may elect to take advanced courses at the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College through our concurrent enrollment program.

Open the doors to our classrooms and you will find lively discussion and debate about books and ideas, students working together to solve problems and interpret lab data, presentations on research projects, building with 3D printers or dismantling machines in the SPACE, painting, sculpting, singing, and acting. We know our students learn best when they are engaged so our teaching is geared toward active learning, critical thinking, and collaboration. Our courses are challenging and our expectations high, and we are passionate about seeing all of our students succeed.