Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science


The Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science is a coeducational, independent boarding and day school located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, that provides next generation STEM education to high school students in ninth through twelfth grades. PRISMS students learn in small classes with faculty who have previous research experience, all experts in the fields. A two-year research requirement is part of the PRISMS core curriculum which provides students with opportunities to make personal and professional advancements before they attend college.
As of the 2015-16 school year, the school had an enrollment of 65 students and 16.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 4.1:1. The school's student body was 81.5% Asian, 7.7% White, 4.6% Black, 1.5% Hispanic, 1.5% American Indian / Alaska Native and 3.1% two or more races.
To support their research, PRISMS offers its students access to sophisticated equipment generally found only in top university labs and makerspaces. Not only do the students learn to solve complex problems and think in analytical ways, they also create new knowledge - for example, three seniors recently presented their research at the 2016 Synthetic Biology Engineering Evolution & Design Conference in Chicago. This important component of the PRISMS mission allows each student the freedom to explore and deepen their curiosity, challenge themselves and others, and make discoveries that matter.
PRISMS students earn top scores individually and in teams entered in the most prestigious math and science competitions in the United States and abroad. One student was one of the six members of the U.S. Math Olympiad team and won both an individual and a team Gold Medal in the 2016 summer International Mathematical Olympiad.
It was founded in 2013 when Chinese real estate magnate Jiang Bairong purchased Albemarle, the 1917 Princeton estate of pharmaceutical pioneer Gerard Lambert and longtime campus of the American Boychoir School, for $5.9 million. Plans were announced to expand the school to 300 students, with 70% being boarders, and $20 million was committed for startup costs.
The school has gone on to purchase five properties, totaling, between January 2013 and January 2015, all in the adjacent neighborhood. The grandfathered zoning for the American Boychoir School allows for a maximum of 82 students and nearby residents have voiced opposition to the school's plans for expansion.
PRISMS is a sister school of the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China. Students collaborate with their peers in China on research projects and are able to study abroad at the school in Beijing. The student body at PRISMS is 75% Chinese and is part of a larger influx of Chinese students into American private schools.