the john cooper school

A SCHOOL FOR THE FUTURE

rooted in tradition
a premiere independent school SINCE 1988

We Aspire

The John Cooper School, founded within the vision of The Woodlands, Texas, is a community where scholarship, creativity, and curiosity prepare students to be leaders in a dynamic world.   Honoring timeless traditions while embracing innovation, we intentionally equip our diverse group of students with future-minded skills and habits of success, inspiring them to lead a life of learning and purpose in the communities of which they will be a part.

Founded in 1988, Cooper continues to serve as the premiere independent college preparatory school of The Woodlands. ​ As part of the development of The Woodlands original master plan, the founder, George Mitchell, envisioned and guided the formation of The John Cooper School. His vision included dedicating 43 acres of land to build an exceptional independent school that was aligned with the mission of our community here in The Woodlands. ​
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​Cooper’s strategic plan reaffirms our commitment to our mission and this community.  

Planning for our future

Our Mission

The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. The School’s mission is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifelong learners.
strategic planning

Primary Goals & Objectives

Goal #1:
Honor our founding roots in The Woodlands and enrich and expand transformational opportunities for our students.
Goal #2:
Deepen our commitment to academic excellence, scholarship, and transformational learning while cultivating innovative practices that prepare students for a constantly changing world.
Goal #3:
Sustain Cooper’s whole-child approach in a caring and supportive environment.
Goal #4:
Identify, recruit, retain, develop, and support the most qualified, dynamic, and effective faculty and staff for our diverse school community.  
Goal #5:
Ensure that Cooper grows with purpose, developing programs, enrollment, and facilities to strengthen and further build on the student experience.
A note from the head of school, Dr. Stephen Popp

The Possibilities are Endless.

Over the course of the 2022-2023 school year, our leadership team and Cooper's Board of Trustees worked closely together to develop the draft of our strategic plan – including our aspirational vision, mission and philosophies, goals, and objectives – that will set the direction for Cooper for the next five years.  The emerging plan incorporates many of the insights we gained from the Cooper community’s feedback, and we are grateful for the contributions of the various stakeholder groups that provided important insights on several topics related to the plan’s implementation. We are also grateful for this special school community’s thoughtful perspectives and commitment to furthering the mission and vision of The John Cooper School. The next five years will be exciting for the students, faculty and staff, families, and alumni of The John Cooper School, a school community rooted in tradition and ready for the future.

Explore the Process!
HomeMission & PhilosophiesPROCESSGOALSCommittee

The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.

Copyright 2023 | The John Cooper School
One John Cooper Drive | The Woodlands, Texas 77381