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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 approximately 500 students in Grades 6 through 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.

Earth Day Extravaganza

May 2 2025

On Tuesday, April 22, the Thaden community came together for our first Earth Day Extravaganza—a day filled with learning, service, and celebration of our planet. The event began with a joyful performance by Lower School students, who sang their Earth Day song during the opening presentation. This kickoff also included a brief history of Earth Day and this year’s theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” setting the tone for a meaningful day ahead.

Students then rotated through a variety of outdoor stations, paired with advisories from different grade levels to promote cross-grade collaboration and connection. Activities ranged from hands-on environmental service, such as maintaining the bike trail, building bird and bat houses, and planting pots for Hobbs State Park, to appreciation-based projects like creating natural bird feeders, creating pollinator houses, and working in the school garden. Others explored the biodiversity of our campus through ecology games, scavenger hunts, and a botanical tour led by Grade 11 Plant Sciences students.

A highlight of the day was the special Earth Week lunch menu, developed by the Food Advocacy class in partnership with Brightwater. As part of their project to promote Farm-to-School meals, students helped design and refine dishes for high schoolers in Arkansas schools that are both nutritious and scalable. The week’s menu featured Black-Eyed Pea Beef Tacos, Butternut Squash Muffins, and Butternut Squash Orzo, creative, sustainable meals enjoyed by all.

To close, students reflected on their role in protecting the environment, writing personal pledges on recycled paper and folding them into origami hangers that decorated the Grove as symbols of their commitment. We hope this day inspires all students to take meaningful action toward a cleaner, greener future, for our campus, our community, and our planet. You can find a collection of photos here, and a video put together by Earthday extravaganza organizer and science faculty, Lauren Heil.

Read More about Earth Day Extravaganza

Thaden Students Shine at Statewide Competitions

Apr 25 2025

The Spring Arts Showcase is just around the corner, and we have so much to celebrate, as our students continue to gain recognition for their exceptional creativity, craftsmanship, and vision.

We are thrilled to announce that two Thaden students—Grace S. and Autumn N., have been selected for the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ 64th Annual Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition. This juried showcase, held in Little Rock, highlights the artistic talent of students from across the state. Each year, educators submit hundreds of works, and a panel of museum educators and faculty carefully selects a limited number for exhibition.

Grace’s watercolor and ink piece, "Neighborhood Red Fox," and Autumn’s graphite drawing, "Abundantly Fulfilled," will be featured in the exhibition. An awards ceremony honoring all selected students will take place at the museum on May 17.

In addition, Thaden students made a remarkable showing at the 2025 Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) competition, the state’s largest annual high school art contest. Thaden took 13 students to the event and brought home nine awards across a variety of media categories.

Congratulations to the following students:

Emil S. – Digital Abstract, 1st Place
David R. – Non-functional Ceramics, 3rd Place
Meadow M. – Functional Ceramics, 2nd Place
Addison R. – Color Photography, 3rd Place
Cora H. – Fiber Arts Realistic, Honorable Mention
Robby A. – Fiber Arts Expressive, Honorable Mention
CJ P. – First-Year 3D Design, 3rd Place
Allison W. – Mixed Media Onsite Competition, 3rd Place
Austin K. – Mixed Media Onsite Competition, Honorable Mention

Congratulations to all of our talented artists!

Chef Brittany and Ms. Hays Mentor at MAGIC

Apr 18 2025

Chef Brittany and Food Education Faculty, Ms. Hays, recently volunteered their time and participated in the MAGIC (Mentoring Arkansas Girls in Culinary) event at Brightwater, Center for the Study of Food. More than just a cooking event, MAGIC brought 65 high school girls from 16 Arkansas schools together for an inspiring day of culinary creativity. Showcasing various culinary careers, whipping up crispy, golden egg rolls, artisanal flatbreads, creamy handmade ricotta, and decadent desserts, this event empowered these future culinary leaders to find their voice in the kitchen, build confidence, and connect over a shared community lunch.

Scholastic Art Awards

Apr 11 2025

On Sunday, April 6 several Thaden School students were honored for their achievements at the Scholastic Art Awards at a ceremony at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Gavin H. '29 and Olivia K. '29 were recognized for their Silver Key honors in printmaking and painting, respectively.

Autumn N. '28 was recognized as a Gold Key at the regional level and for winning a Gold Medal at the national level for her drawing piece! Autumn spoke about her piece to an audience of students, teachers, and community members. Autumn will be recognized at an awards ceremony in New York City in June.

Honorable mentions were also recognized, including Emil S. '26, David R. '26, Valeria R.-J. ‘25, Addison R. ‘25, Allison W. ‘25, and Austin K. ‘25.

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