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Our Mission

Our mission is to provide a balanced and challenging education that ignites in our students a passion for discovery and learning, prepares them to succeed in college, and inspires them to lead lives of integrity, purpose, and responsible global citizenship.

Our Story

With the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation, we opened in the fall of 2017 and will continue to grow incrementally to serve up to 600 students in Grades K-12.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Thaden School is committed to actively engaging with the ever-unfinished and essential work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

WHY THADEN?

Our Students

By virtue of our Indexed Tuition program and small class sizes, we offer a learning culture in which students of many interests, aspirations, and backgrounds can share and explore different points of view under the guidance of nurturing, even-handed educators. As our students discover their common ground and learn from their differences, they grow better prepared for life and citizenship in a nation founded upon a shared commitment to the value of civil debate and diversity of thought.

Our Faculty

Recruited from all parts of the United States and many parts of the world, our educators bring to our campus a passion for and mastery of the subjects they teach and the ability to educate, inspire, and mentor young people, inside and outside of the classroom. The diverse talents, interests, regional identities, and backgrounds of our faculty create a learning environment that empowers students to think expansively and imaginatively about their potential and the course of their journey in life.

Our Curriculum

Our core curriculum not only provides students with a broad foundation in the sciences and the humanities but also teaches them how to integrate disciplines and understand their dynamic connections. Our commitment to interdisciplinary problem solving also finds rich expression in our three signature programs — Wheels, Reels, and Meals — where students combine multiple fields of study and engage with community partners in ways that foster a strong sense of civic responsibility. Intensives and other forms of independent study as well as Community-Based Learning (CBL) courses provide further opportunities for students to form and investigate their own questions from many angles.

Our Campus

Designed by a nationally renowned team of architects, our campus is itself a teacher that sparks curiosity, inspires creativity, and invites reflection. As students move through the course of the day, they encounter a variety of architectural spaces and landscape features that enhance their learning while creating an enduring and enriching sense of place.

Our Community

As our school community continues to grow, we continue to be intentional about fostering a sense of belonging that makes each and all of us feel known, seen, heard, and celebrated. Thaden aspires to be a school where a diverse community can feel a shared sense of belonging.

Latest News

Check out the most recent Thaden news below. View All News.

Students Sweep Awards at Language Competition

Mar 12 2026

Last weekend, Thaden students in Grades 8-12 participated in an annual competition hosted by the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association (AFLTA) at Harding University. Our students earned numerous top placements across Latin, Spanish, and Mandarin events. Students competed in a variety of categories, including vocabulary, poetry recitation, extemporaneous speaking and reading, culture bowl, music performance, and visual arts. Students gathered to compete from schools across the state.

Our students brought home multiple first-place awards and top-three placements.

Click here to see the full list of student awards and results.

Model UN Club Travels to Chicago

Mar 5 2026

In February, nine members of Thaden’s Model United Nations Club traveled with sponsors Ms. King and Dr. Maher to the 38th Model United Nations of the University of Chicago (MUNUC) conference. Head delegate Brennan M. ‘29, K L. ‘27, Millie S. ‘27, and Sonakshi D. ‘29 represented the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Eden-Belle R. ‘27, Teagan K. ‘27, and Killian S. ‘27 represented the Republic of Estonia; Lindley S. ‘27 represented the Republic of Yemen; and Jesse C. ‘28 represented the Kyrgyz Republic.

Building on their participation in the 60th Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN) conference in November, students continued to practice their skills in research, public speaking, negotiation, and collaborative problem solving. “The Model UN trip was a phenomenal opportunity,” Sonakshi D. said. “The Chicago conference significantly boosted my confidence as I spoke and discussed our topic with other delegates. It was an enjoyable experience because I was able to connect with people from all over the United States and even some people from outside the country.”

Students worked with peers from over 100 other high schools to debate and propose solutions to issues such as bioweapons, implementation of predictive policing tools, and the protection and preservation of World Heritage sites. “MUNUC was an amazing experience,” Jesse C. said. “It provided the opportunity to experience Model United Nations on a large scale. In a committee of more than 100 people, I was able to grow as a delegate, and, perhaps more importantly, as a collaborator, as I was working to combat issues faced by World Heritage sites.”

The Model UN Club meets on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm and is open to students in Grades 7-12.

Middle School MATHCOUNTS Competition

Feb 27 2026

13 Thaden students participated in the MATHCOUNTS Chapter Competition this past weekend, representing our school with impressive mathematical skill.

Congratulations to all of our competitors: Siddhanta D. '31, Carmela N. '31, Paige S. '31, Ahana T. '30, Iman K. '30, Avram G. '29, Annie A. '29, Ben F. '29, Ted G. '29, Quinn H. '29, Finley C. '29, Andrew W. '29, and Mila S. '29.

Avram, Ben, Quinn, and Mila also represented Thaden in the Team Round of the competition.

Ben earned top scorer for Thaden and placed an impressive 35th overall out of 153 competitors. Mila, Avram, and Ahana tied for 2nd place within our school.

Ben, Mila, Avram, and Ahana have been invited to advance to the State MATHCOUNTS Competition in Little Rock on March 6.

We are proud of all our students for their hard work and outstanding representation of Thaden School!

Science Olympiad Team Shines in Year Two of Competition!

Feb 19 2026

On Saturday, February 7, Thaden School’s Science Olympiad Team competed in the Regional Science Olympiad Tournament at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. Now in its second year, our Middle School team returned to competition with strong preparation, teamwork, and determination, taking on a wide range of rigorous STEM events.

Our students competed against seasoned teams in the Middle School Division, from Classical Founders Academy and Haas Hall Academy. Events included Oceanography, Anatomy and Physiology, Hovercraft Building, Circuits, Rocks and Minerals, Metric Mastery, Solar System, Water Quality, Write It, Do It, and Potions and Poisons.

Event Highlights:
Circuits — 1st Place: Sam B. '30 and Avram G. '30
Potions and Poisons — 1st Place: Evelyn A. '32 and Brayden O. '32
Solar System — 2nd Place: Sam B. '30 and Ben F. '30
Water Quality — 2nd Place: Natalie C. '30 and Hannah R. '30
Write It, Do It — 2nd Place: Natalie C. '30 and Hannah R. '30
Metric Mastery — 3rd Place: Andrew F. '31 and Ethan N. '31
Dynamic Earth — 4th Place: Ben F. '30 and Avram G. '30

We are proud of these students for their curiosity, discipline, and collaborative spirit. These events demand accuracy, adaptability, and teamwork, and our students represented Thaden beautifully. We are proud of their continued growth and strong showing in Thaden’s second year of Science Olympiad competition.

Go, Thaden Science Olympians!

Students Selected for Imaginative Machine Juried Exhibition

Feb 13 2026

We are excited to share that nine Middle School students were selected to participate in the Imaginative Machine Juried Exhibition at the Windgate Museum of Art at Hendrix College in Conway. In connection with the museum’s spring exhibition, kinētikos: of motion, students from across the state were challenged to dig deep into their imaginations and design mechanical marvels unlike anything the world has seen, from robots and rocket cars to inventive machines that solve everyday problems.

A total of 80 works by 79 student artists were chosen from nearly 600 submissions, making this an exceptional honor for our students. Student artwork will be on view in the Windgate Museum of Art window galleries at Hendrix College through April 2026.

Our student artists were recognized at a special reception held at the museum on Saturday, February 7.

Astrid L. ‘33, Jello Maker 2000
Blair A. ‘33, The Snake
Avery E. ‘31, My Machine
Chloe J. ‘31, Nature Watch
Elijah W. ‘31, Earl's Idea
Grace S. ‘31, K.A.T.T. (Keeping Animals Terribly Terrified)
Olivia S. ‘31, Flight of the Mechanical Ladybugs
Owen C., ‘31 Half Nature Half Robot
Vivian M. ‘31, The Astro-Parcel Inspector

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