History

 

Prep’s evolution from a small school for five students to an innovative, rigorous, comprehensive launch pad for thousands of alumni around the world is truly impressive.

 

 

The Original Sandía School

The roots of Sandia Prep trace back to 1932, when trailblazing educator and politician Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms founded the original Sandía School -- a private day and boarding school for girls. Classes began in a private home (now the site of Manzano Day School) with just one teacher and five students. The school aimed to prepare young women for continued studies, especially at Eastern colleges, at a time when such opportunities were rare.

By 1937, the school had grown large enough to move to a newly built campus on what is now Kirtland Air Force Base. Mrs. Simms enlisted the iconic New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem to design the campus in classic Territorial Style. Just one year later, enrollment had soared to 75 students with 18 teachers on staff -- proof of the school's rising influence.

But in 1942, the school closed its doors due to World War II. Even so, its spirit endured. Alumni of the original Sandía School played a pivotal role in launching the next chapter -- Sandia Preparatory School.