FAQ 6-12

Thaden serves students entering Grades 6-12.

We aspire to create a dynamic and diverse community of students. In considering prospective students, we look for a candidate's academic readiness and desire to participate fully in the life of the school and the local community. Among the many qualities we hope to find and cultivate in our students are curiosity, creativity, open-mindedness, independence, ambition, and dedication. 

320 students are enrolled at Thaden School for the 2023-24 academic year. The school will grow incrementally, and at full build-out, the campus and its structures will support as many as 400 students, although the size of each instructional section will remain small. 

Our first 72 graduates have been accepted to over 160 universities and colleges in 40 states and three foreign countries.  Visit our College Counseling page or read our College Profile to see a full list of acceptances.

Thaden School has not adopted the College Board’s Advanced Placement curriculum because our required course of study, consistent with our mission, is designed to prepare students for success at even the most challenging colleges and universities. Most of our core departments and programs, including English, Mathematics, Computer Science, History, Social Sciences, World Languages, and Visual and Performing Arts, offer advanced courses that are especially challenging and comparable to college-level work. Of the more than 100 courses offered at Thaden School, over 20% are accelerated or equivalent to college-level; these advanced course offerings are denoted on the transcript.

To learn more about our curriculum, visit the Academics page or view our Middle School or Upper School Curriculum Guides.

Each year our students earn international, national, and regional distinctions.

• Three graduates earned full four-year scholarships through the QuestBridge National College Match program. Another earned the prestigious Jefferson Scholarship, covering the full cost of attendance plus expenses at the University of Virginia.
• Five students participated in the National Security Language Initiative for Youth summer programs. Another earned a full scholarship for The Paideia Institute’s Living Latin in Rome High School program.
• One student auditioned for and was selected to perform in a small mixed choir at the Sydney Opera House.
• Two students won first place and a third won second place for art pieces entered in the Arkansas Young Artist Association Competition.
• One student was one of only two students out of 500 participants recognized for Excellence in Leadership and Ethics at the West Point Summer Leader Experience.
• Five students formed the world’s first competitive high school gravel cycling team.  
• One student was recruited as a Division I NCAA Track and Field athlete and earned a scholarship to compete at the University of Montana.
• Two students were among the top 20 finalists in a field of 6,000 submissions for the 2019 NPR Student Podcast Challenge.

Thaden School cannot modify the curriculum, but can make some accommodations for students with documented needs. 

Classroom Accommodations:

• Assistive Technology: Calculator

• Assistive Technology: Dictation/Speech to Text

• Assistive Technology: Grammarly

• Extended Time: Math

• Extended Time: Reading

• Extended Time: Writing

• Noise-canceling Headphones

• Not Asked to Read Aloud

• Not Graded for Spelling

• Peer Notetaker

• Preferential Seating 

• Audiobooks/Text to Speech Support (Speechify)

• Copy of Class Notes/Slides

• Reduced Copying

• Allow Frequent Breaks

• Break Assignments into Manageable Steps

• Frequent Checks for Understanding

• Redirection to Task

Testing Accommodations:

• Formula Bank

• Word Bank

• Preferential Seating

• Extended Time at 150%

• Small Group Testing (Our classes are considered small groups, so we would not test students in a group other than their class)

74 percent of our current students receive an Indexed Tuition. All families pay well below the cost of a Thaden education, even those at the maximum rates. To learn more about indexed tuition, complete this form or visit our Afford page.

Although the trimester system has not been widely adopted in the region, our academic calendar begins on or near the same date as most public and charter schools in Northwest Arkansas and is aligned with sports seasons, national holidays, and traditional breaks. The Thaden school year has a one-week Thanksgiving break, two-week winter and spring breaks, and celebrates special occasions such as Louise Thaden Day. Click here to view our calendar.

Thaden offers a robust co-curricular program after school that all students are welcome to take advantage of. After-school supervision outside of co-curriculars is also available for $25/week.

Thaden School is not participating in the LEARNS Act for the 2023-24 Academic Year and we are unable to accept Educational Freedom Account funds at this time. We intend to register as a participating school in the EFA program for the 2024-25 Academic Year so that eligible Thaden families may choose to pursue, on their own accord, a source of tuition assistance that will make a Thaden education more affordable for them. If you have questions about EFA funds please contact tuition@thadenschool.org