About Prep
When I greet our students each day in the drop-off area with a handshake and a “Good morning,” I’m reminded of why I am honored to work at Sandia Prep. As I walk around campus, I am always struck by how welcoming and kind our students are.
Sandia Prep is a one-of-a-kind place, and I have come to believe that student and faculty engagement both define and differentiate our community. At Prep, a palpable sense of enthusiasm underscores the day-to-day classroom experience. Students are appreciated as individuals, and the journey through adolescence is prized as much as the destination.
The world into which our children will graduate is changing at a pace nearly impossible to fathom. To prepare them, schools must cultivate intellect while nurturing the social and emotional skills that go hand-in-glove with innovation. Sandia Prep students go on to serve their communities and to excel in their chosen careers. They look back at Prep as the place that encouraged their curiosity, allowed them to take risks, and challenged their intellect and work ethic beyond what they once thought possible.
- Bill Sinfield, Head of School
Why Sandia Prep?
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 readies students for success in college and beyond, and inspires each to find and achieve his or her purpose in the world.
As an independent 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.
Fast Facts
As an independent 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.
Fast Facts
- Earned an A+ rating and recognized as a top private school in New Mexico
- 100% graduation rate with all grads accepted to college
- 7:1 student - teacher ratio
- Truly small class sizes with an average of 15 students per class
- Engineering & coding program
- Vast middle school and upper school arts and sports
- Recognized as one of the safest campuses in Albuquerque
- Comprehensive visual and performing arts at all grade levels
- No-cut athletics produce state champions
- Bus service to and from NE Heights, Westside, and UNM/Ridgecrest areas
- Our Center for Learning Excellence supports students with learning differences
- Parental involvement is not only welcomed, it is encouraged
- A member of the Kindness Club and Harvard University's "Making Caring Common" campaign
- More than a campus. We're a community.
Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission
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.
Our Vision
At Sandia Prep, we will inspire our students to discover their purposes in the world by:
- Developing essential skills and intellectual potential through challenging academics;
- Cultivating a socially responsible environment of innovation and creativity; and
- Engaging as a vibrant community for the betterment of society.
Our Five A's
To provide remarkable opportunities for personal growth, and to cultivate each student's passions, talents, creativity, and intellectual development, Sandia Prep seeks to create balance among the Five A's: Academics, Athletics, Arts, Activities, and Atmosphere.
Sandia Prep Fast Facts
| Key Sandia Preparatory School Facts | |
|---|---|
|
Enrollment
|
522 (as of 8.19.19)
|
| Student-Teacher Ratio |
7-to-1 |
| Average Class Size |
15 |
| Faculty |
69 (as of 8.8.19) |
| Endowment |
$6.96 million (as of 7.31.18) |
| Tuition |
$22,840 including fees (for 2019-2020) |
| Financial Aid |
40% of students received financial aid (2019-2020) |
| Diversity |
47% identify themselves as students of color (2019-2020) |
| No-Cut Athletics |
78% of students participate; 406 students played on 54 teams in 22 sports (2018-2019) |
| Community Service |
90% of students participate in this voluntary, student-led and student directed program |
| Campus |
33 acres |
Advanced Curriculum
At the Upper School level, courses are advanced and considered equally rigorous to AP courses, with many comparable to introductory college classes. We prize our independence too highly to ask our teachers to use a curriculum based on standardized tests. Because of this, we are able to offer a wide variety of advanced classes that allow for more intense, in-depth study. (Click on the cover below to view Sandia Prep's 2018-2019 Curriculum Guide.)
Individualized College Counseling
- Our College Counseling Department works one-on-one with students and their families beginning in the ninth grade.
- We help your student find and be admitted to the best colleges and universities suited to his/her goals.
- We help your student secure financial aid and scholarships for college.
- After graduation, your graduate can count on Sandia Prep's assistance through college, graduate school, and career.
The Prep Community
- Our mission emphasizes the importance of parental involvement. At Prep, parental involvement is not only welcomed, it is encouraged.
- We are one SPS "family" - students, parents, and faculty focused on one goal: each student's success.
Accreditation and Membership
- National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
NAIS certifies that the Independent School Association of the Southwest (ISAS), a member of the Commission on Accreditation, has voluntarily submitted to a rigorous and impartial review of its accreditation program and demonstrated its adherence to the Criteria for Effective Independent School Accreditation Practices. NAIS commends ISAS and confirms its confidence in the quality of the association's accreditation program for its independent schools. - Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS)
- Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (Founding Member)
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education
- Independent Curriculum Group (Founding Member)
- National Association for College Admission Counseling
- New Mexico Association of Non-Public Schools
Non-discriminatory Policy
Sandia Preparatory School shall admit students of any race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid and loan programs, and other school-administered programs.