University Prep was founded in 1976 by a small group of Seattle Public Schools teachers dedicated to providing the best possible education to a heterogeneous student body. From 2002 to 2014, the head of school of University Prep was Erica L. Hamlin. From 2014 to 2019, the head of school was Matt Levinson. The temporary head of school for the 2019-2020 school year was Lila Lohr. The current head of school Veronica Codrington-Cazeau began to serve as head on school on July 1st, 2020.
Curriculum
The school year is organized into two semesters and four quarters, and students are expected to carry a minimum of five classes each semester. School hours are 8:25 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. for upper school and 8:15 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. for middle school, after which athletics, activities, and after-school programs begin. In addition to academic classes, the day includes electives, physical education, supervised study, and free periods for Upper School students. The school transitioned from a Moodle education software client to a Schoology-based learning management system. In Middle School, all students have personal iPads. In Upper School, students may choose either a Windows or Apple computer. In most cases, students are given the option to complete an assignment digitally or on paper. All classes, excluding Physical Education and fine arts classes, are honors level.
Sports
University Prep competes at the 1A state classification level for sports. The Middle School sports program offers girls volleyball, soccer and cross country in the fall, basketball in the winter, and boys baseball, girls softball, track and field in the spring. The Upper School also offers the same sports as the Middle School, but with the exception of girls soccer in the fall, and boys soccer and boys and girls tennis in the spring. The 2010-2011 school year marked the change of the old sports system. Before that academic year, the Upper School had the same athletics program as the Middle School with the exception of having tennis. Boys soccer was moved to the spring season to bring a more competitive level of play for the teams and various other reasons. To counter the absence of boys soccer in the fall, boys tennis was added to the fall athletics season.
Campus
University Prep's campus has three main buildings: the three-story classroom and administrative building, a classroom building, a gymnasium, and the fine arts center, which features a proscenium theater known as Founder's Hall as well as art and practice rooms. The adjacent Dahl Playfield is used for sports and other activities.
