Maharishi School, USA
#1 Best Iowa Boarding School
#1 Best Iowa College Prep School
Top 7% of US Private Schools
#1 Best Iowa K-12 Private School
#1 Most Diverse Iowa School
An Innovative, Preschool-12, Day & Boarding School Combining College Preparatory Academics and Inner Development.
MAHARISHI SCHOOL AT A GLANCE
Independent boarding/day, Preschool-Grade 12
Rigorous and dynamic college preparatory classes
Single and mixed-gender classes
Boarding program for 9-12th grades
Intentional use of inner development programs: Transcendental Meditation and Yoga (2 times a day)
Discussion and project-based, interactive classes
Highly personalized and student-centered learning
Founded in 1975
THE CAMPUS
Shared campus with Maharishi University, 350 acres with facilities including Library, Fieldhouse, Recreation Center, organic grocery market, outdoor swimming pool, outdoor tennis courts, Student Center.
A short walk from swimming, canoeing, and fishing at the Fairfield Reservoir, as well as walking and biking on the 16 mile Fairfield Loop Trail
STUDENTS
180 students representing 30 countries
Over 75% percent of students receive financial aid
Preschool – 40
Lower (K-6) – 66
Middle – 24
Upper – 50
ACADEMICS
Collaborative and project-based learning emphasis
Multi-level, mastery curriculum including honors courses and AP courses
Holistic Health Program includes twice-daily meditation and yoga for stress reduction and academic success
College Admissions course and college counseling support
ACCREDITATION AND MEMBERSHIPS
Independent Schools Association of Central States (ISACS)
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Small Boarding Schools Association (SBSA)
Special Accreditation for College Preparatory Schools by the State of Iowa
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education
National Association for College Admissions Counseling
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Great Prairie Area Education Association
Enrollment Management Association
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
FACULTY
44 faculty members (full and part-time)
10 faculty or staff who are alumni
Student/Faculty ratio 6:1
Average Class Size: 12
COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ACCEPTANCES
Over 97% of graduates accepted to four-year colleges and universities of their choice.
Recent colleges and universities include:
Boston University
Columbia University
Georgetown University
George Washington University
Grinnell College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Middlebury College
St. Olaf College
Penn State University
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Sarah Lawrence College
University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of California – Irvine
University of Iowa – Honors Program
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
University of Wisconsin – Madison
University of Glasgow, Scotland
Welcome to Maharishi School, one of America’s most unique and progressive schools. What began in 1981 as a single innovative school is now the model for a special kind of holistic education around the world.
At Maharishi School, the foundation of our college preparatory program is optimal alertness. You could have the most ideal school imaginable—best teachers, best facilities, best curriculum, and technology—but if students enter the classroom stressed, fatigued, or distracted, how much can be gained?What if there was a way to optimize students’ alertness?
Every aspect of school life would be enhanced: assimilating and retaining knowledge, social and emotional development, physical health and well-being.That is why at Maharishi School we invest in rest—of a special kind.
Our students and teachers take time to transcend twice a day, with the practice of yoga and Transcendental Meditation. This allows them to gain deep rest and dissolve stress before it accumulates. It improves brain functioning. In a world of nearly incessant outer stimuli, it gives them a respite of inner silence, a connection with their own individual true self.
Gain Self-Knowledge
Through our unique program that is part theory, part practice, students learn to operate from a place of center. They learn how to imbue life with stillness, self-awareness, and presence. This lays the foundation for academic success and prepares students for all areas of future life.
Our goal is to help our students be the best version of themselves—starting with knowing who they are.Think vertically and make connections.
We offer AP exams to prepare our students for college-level work and Honors classes to promote original work. Our students also have a unique interdisciplinary course called the Science of Creative Intelligence where they see underlying, universal principles that are common to the structure and functioning of all aspects of life—their academic subjects, in nature, and in themselves. Students make connections between all the surface details and the big ideas.
Tap new reservoirs of creativity.
Our students are awake. They are dynamic. We want to help them unleash their creativity, and that’s where Project-Based Learning serves them best.
Our Project Period gives students 70 minutes to explore their passions three days a week, whether in a teacher designed project or one they have proposed as an independent or small group project. They problem-solve, they experiment, they falter and keep trying. They are exercising real-life skills in areas of interest, supported by teachers, community experts, and/or online resources. Project Period is another doorway to finding oneself. It’s another place where individuality is honored and encouraged.
Be successful and happy.
Maharishi School students awaken hidden potentials and accomplish audacious goals. Our alumni have gone on to prestigious universities such as MIT, Stanford, Middlebury, and Oxford. They boast achievements in renowned international competitions like INTEL Science and Engineering Fair and Destination Imagination’s Global Finals. The daily practice of Transcendental Meditation also helps to keep life in check so our students can just be happy with themselves regardless of the competitions, goals, or pressure they will face.
Be valued.
We’re small. All the students know each other. Teachers know all the students. And the small class sizes create a learning environment where every relationship matters and every voice is encouraged and expected. Students from 30 countries have walked through our doors allowing for a rich mosaic of perspectives and preferences.
Beyond our doorstep lies Fairfield, a small, safe community stitched together with progressive values and people from all over the world. Smithsonian Magazine recently named Fairfield one of the “Top Small Towns in America to Visit.” It’s so special that Oprah herself came to visit Fairfield and Maharishi School and slipped into a meditation seat next to our students. This intimate and inclusive setting makes Maharishi School a very special home away from home.
Maharishi School’s vision of holistic education encompasses not just an array of academic subjects and extracurricular pursuits, but also a focus on character development from outer examples and training. We are committed to drawing out the phenomenal gifts and potential in each person’s inner self.