Student Experience Overview

Not just a campus, but a community.

Sure, we have a beautiful campus, but what sets us apart is our true sense of community. At this home away from home, your child will thrive in a culture that promotes kindness, collaboration, and character.

Students jumping in air

Imagine: Your child gets excited about applied probability because their math teacher is so engaging and humorous.

Imagine: Through the Outdoor Leadership Program, your child discovers lifelong hobbies such as cross-country skiing, yurt camping, backpacking, kayaking, or caving.

Imagine: Your student journeys to the Model United National Conference at the University of California at Berkeley to discuss such issues as security, access to healthcare, and artificial intelligence.

Those aren’t hypotheticals. They’re actual experiences of Prep students.

Activities & Clubs
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student playing chess
Outdoor Leadership Program
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OLP campers
Community Service
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students on quad
Prep Traditions
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student school spirit

 

Students working in class

Small by Design

We want to know, support, and celebrate your child. Our cohesive community means no one goes overlooked or unnoticed. “Small by design” means students can more easily master curriculum in a smaller learning environment where high aspirations and respectful relationships are encouraged. We want your child to enjoy a well-rounded, customized experience.

Robust Advisory Program

One facet of our strong foundation is our Advisory Program. Each Sandia Prep faculty member serves as an advisor to a group of ten students (of the same grade) each year. As an advocate, the advisor is available to talk with each of these students about any and all concerns, academic or otherwise. In addition, the advisor serves as the primary liaison between the school and parents, meeting with parents each semester to track the student's progress and development.

students in pitchfork cafe

students working together

Culture of Kindness

Community is one of Sandia Prep’s greatest strengths. Our culture of kindness is integral to who we are and what we do, every single day.

Prep kindness initiatives and programs have included Harvard University's Making Caring Common, CharacterStrong, and the University of California, Berkeley’s The Greater Good Science Center.

The Prep Pledge: “As a member of this community, I promise to uphold the highest standards of personal and academic integrity, respect all its members, and contribute to Sandia Prep’s culture of kindness.” This daily mindset further promotes positive social and emotional health on campus.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Sandia Prep is proud that our students come from diverse backgrounds. We foster equity in our policies and inclusivity in our decorum. We believe that students’ distinctions of race, ethnicity, income, gender identity, sexuality, and religion are facets to be championed, not muted.

Our differences enhance the quality of life on Prep’s campus and bring our community together. Education around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) is implemented in our curriculum, student events, faculty professional development, affinity groups, and school-wide initiatives. When we say we are a community, we mean it in every sense of the word. 

flags on campus

students in japan

Travel Program

Sandia Prep-sponsored educational tours provide an incredible opportunity for students to explore the world with their peers and teachers, who serve as seasoned tour guides. Often, a Sandia Prep will include humanitarian efforts, such as delivering equipment to foreign schools and providing aid to areas affected by natural disasters in the U.S. and abroad.

Past Sandia Prep trips include:

  • Bhutan
  • China
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • Greece
  • Guatemala
  • Italy
  • Scotland
  • Japan
  • New Orleans, La.
  • Peru
  • Spain
  • Washington, D.C

Prep Café & Pitchfork Café

Prep students are busy, growing, and hungry. Fortunately, our Prep Café offers a wide array of delicious, nutritious fare for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Nearly all of our food is made from scratch, on-site, using only the freshest ingredients. 

Students can choose from daily specials—like the hugely popular tacos with rave-worthy, secret-recipe salsa—or indulge in regular offerings, such as hamburgers, salads, and Prep's world-famous breakfast burritos. Students can pay as they go, or parents can set up an account online. Students are always welcome to bring their own lunch as well.

The Pitchfork Café, Prep’s on-campus coffee shop, run by Managing A Small Business students, has evolved into an important gathering place for students to study, visit, and enjoy everything from karaoke to pop-up maker markets. It also provides Sundevils with opportunities to learn the joys and challenges of running a business that meets the needs of not only students but parents, staff, and community members.

Prep cafe burrito