Foothills School of Arts & Sciences

Foothills School of Arts and Sciences is the oldest independent preschool through 9th grade school in Idaho’s Treasure Valley.  Opening its doors in 1992 to 12 students, and having grown to more than 150 students in preschool through 9th grade today, the school prides itself on having a challenging and inquiry-based curriculum that meets students' individual learning needs.  We maintain a commitment to small class sizes, ensuring that all members of our learning community get to know each other well.

As we focus on the future in which our children will live and work, Foothills is committed to being a learning environment that prepares students to be successful 21st century citizens.  In addition to the core curriculum that is based on national educational standards, our school incorporates teaching the skills that students will need to be successful in the coming generation - including collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and technology and media skills.  We want our students to learn how to learn and to understand how to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.  The curriculum at Foothills School is adaptable to the evolving educational landscape, combining traditional practices with innovative methods.  We introduce children to knowledge through Project Based Learning (PBL), an approach to teaching through inquiry that has students tackling real-world issues as the context for learning subject areas.

We also believe in fostering each student's ability to learn at his or her own pace - our teachers personalize curriculum for students so they are challenged and successful at their appropriate level in each core subject area.  Foothills helps students develop a strong sense of who they are as people, the motivation and competency to excel in school, the confidence to express their ideas and opinions, and prepares students to be successful in high school, college and beyond.

We are a community of students, faculty, staff, parents and board members, with local and regional partners. We leverage the talents of the entire community to deliver unique, targeted, exceptional educational experiences.  You will often see members of our parent community leading sessions in their area of expertise in the classroom - often not even their own child's classroom - to support our curriculum.  With all of these resources, each child truly has a differentiated educational path.