Head of School Welcome

Thank you for your interest in The John Cooper School. My name is Dr. Stephen Popp. As Head of School, I want to personally invite you to learn more about our wonderful learning environment fostered by our dedicated teachers and talented and motivated students.

As part of the development of The Woodlands original master plan, the founder, George Mitchell, built The John Cooper School with intention. His vision included dedicating 43 acres of land to build an exceptional independent school that was aligned with the mission of our community here in The Woodlands. Our Mission at The John Cooper School is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifelong learners.

Our Mission, Philosophy, and Goals guide our decisions and programming to create a experiences that supports the whole student, from exceptional academics, campus life, fine arts, athletics, and service.

I am deeply honored to be appointed as the next Head of School of The John Cooper School. Since its founding in 1988, Cooper has been an educational exemplar in The Woodlands and throughout the greater Houston area, and I want to thank the Board of Trustees for entrusting me with this high privilege and responsibility. I am grateful to continue to serve this special school community as we together build upon the school’s tremendous successes.
 
During my time at Cooper, I have been inspired by our bright students and our accomplished alumni. I am profoundly committed to upholding the Cooper values of academic challenge, intellectual inquiry, and service to others, and continuing to develop responsible leaders and lifelong learners. The dedicated and innovative faculty, staff, and administrative teams, and our generous and supportive families, have fostered a vibrant and caring school environment. I am eager and ready to join with our teachers, staff, and administrators as we lead each of our students in their journey from curiosity to wisdom in furtherance of The John Cooper School’s compelling mission.

We encourage you to email or call us if you would like to know more about Cooper. Visiting our beautiful campus and seeing our teachers and students in action is truly the optimal way to get a feel for our unique culture and spirit. We welcome the opportunity to meet you in person, answer any and all questions you may have, and help you get to know Cooper better. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen Popp 
Head of School
spopp@johncooper.org

Accreditation

The John Cooper School is accredited by The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) and is a member of The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

ISAS Logo    NAIS Logo
From Curiosity to Wisdom
The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. Our mission is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifetime learners.

The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.