An independent school for children age 3 through grade 6
In This Section
Our Mission
To prepare students for success in an ever-changing world, our exceptional educators embrace classic and innovative methods within a nurturing, inclusive, and collaborative environment.
Teachers at The Wilson School take a cooperative, problem-solving approach to the learning process. We encourage our students to ask questions and to think critically. We integrate research, technology and project-based learning into the classroom in order to enhance the curriculum and engage students in meaningful ways. And we partner with a variety of organizations and local resources – ranging from the Saint Louis Zoo to Washington University – to offer unique learning opportunities.
Academic highlights:
The majority of our faculty and staff hold advanced degrees, with an average teaching experience of more than 20 years – that’s five years more than the national average for independent schools – and an average experience at Wilson of nearly 15 years.
We have one class per grade, with two full-time teachers per class and specialists, resulting in an 7:1 student-teacher ratio.
Students access a full range of the latest technology and an extensive library of books, periodicals, magazines and software.
Upper grades are fully departmentalized with core subject specialists.
Our students’ school experiences provide many important opportunities for creative growth. We use the visual and performing arts to stimulate their imagination and enhance creativity. Through the creative process, our students acquire a deeper awareness of their own talents and the talents of others.
Highlights in the Arts:
Each year, several visiting authors and artists work directly with students helping them write their own stories or develop their own artistic works.
Students in the sixth grade compose their own musical pieces.
Second – sixth grade students participate in student choirs.
Fourth grade students perform in a drum ensemble, which includes a wide range of percussion instruments.
Wilson’s intimate classroom settings foster the development of personal and social responsibility within each student. We support this development by demonstrating and teaching values, including respect, personal integrity, and self-discipline.
Character-driven program highlights:
The Wilson School motto – Make Your Mark a Good One (MYMAGO) – permeates our school environment.
All fourth- through sixth grade students participate in a Buddy Program with Wilson’s early childhood students. This program teaches the older students about social responsibility, empathy, and how to be a role model.
The buddies have weekly scheduled time to work, learn, and play together.
A student-led Student Council organizes events and has raised thousands of dollars to make donations to various charitable organizations.
Wilson is fortunate to attract families from near and far. We encourage all students to value and appreciate both individual and cultural differences among themselves and within the larger community.
Highlights include:
More than 20 percent of Wilson families are multilingual.
Wilson families come from 34 zip codes, including Illinois and the western suburbs of St. Louis County.
Approximately 25% of our student body has at least one foreign-born parent.
Approximately 30% of Wilson families benefit from scholarships and tuition assistance.
In our Foreign Language (French and Latin) program, students garner an appreciation for tradition, history and cuisine. Students research a variety of French-speaking cultures, from Ste. Genevieve, Mo., to Paris, France. In Latin, students study ancient civilizations and their impact on modern society, including reenactments of historic events.
Wilson participates in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to facilitate the process for families applying to the school from abroad.
Our ongoing focus on physical education promotes the habits and attitudes needed for fitness, skills development, teamwork, and fair play.
Program highlights:
Many Wilson students are recognized for their efforts. Healthy eating habits are developed in the early childhood grades through units on nutrition, classroom snacks, and learning to make healthy choices.
Wilson has a robust running program for students of all ages, including the Read, Right, Run Marathon, Let Me Run and Girls on the Run.
Students have a wide variety of after-school and extra-curricular opportunities to explore new hobbies, athletics and interests; everything from chess to robotics to fencing and creative improvisation.
At Wilson, we understand that empowering our faculty to build innovative curriculum inspires our students and encourages them to innovate in turn. Our accelerated approach to learning–facilitated by our low student-faculty ratio and our two teacher per class model–gives students the opportunity to connect what they learn to real-life situations. Wilson’s curriculum consistently invites children to link skill and application as well as how and why. Our alumni thrive across careers, disciplines, and walks of life because they love learning throughout their lives. A Wilson education equips alumni with the confidence to take on new intellectual challenges and the clarity to see how learning something new can enrich their lives.
Ways that Wilson Inspires through innovation include:
A 62:1 book to student ratio in our library that means that every child can find dozens of just-right reads.
Age-appropriate introduction to technology invites students to become digital creators as well as savvy content consumers.
A reimagined Innovation Wing encourages collaborative problem-solving, creative play, mutually supportive feedback, and innovative design.
Cross-grade collaborations ensure opportunities for student-led projects allowing children to discover how their scholarship can build improvements into their communities.
