There's a gap in Missoula's education landscape that most people don't talk about much. The city has solid options for younger kids: Montessori programs, progressive schools, religious schools, language immersion. But somewhere around ninth grade, those options narrow considerably.

Clark Fork Prep is trying to change that.

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The Founders

Three experienced educators are behind Clark Fork Prep: Rose Dickson, Tayleigh Sykes, and Jennifer Walworth. Between them, they bring over 40 years of classroom experience.

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Dickson, born and raised in Missoula, double majored in Environmental Studies and English at the University of Montana and has been teaching for over 10 years. Sykes has taught high school French and English in Missoula for 15 years. Walworth, who serves as Head of School, has been teaching since 1997 and has worked with students across six countries on four continents.

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Their former students speak to the impact these teachers had. In interviews, adults who were once in their classrooms describe learning how to think critically rather than simply absorbing information. They talk about academic rigor paired with genuine kindness.

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"I wasn't a great English student, to be honest," one former student said, "but I think a lot of the skills they put on to me helped me throughout university and to my current job. They really impacted the way I go about thinking. I don't think I was ever told what to think, but I was shown how to think."

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Place-Based Education

At its core, Clark Fork Prep is built around place-based education. Place-based education means course content and learning connect directly to Missoula's people and landscape. Instead of generic ecology lessons, students study the specific ecosystems they live in. Community engagement becomes actual work with Missoula organizations.

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"It allows the learning to expand into the community where the kids live," Walworth explains. "Which makes it more relevant, it makes it more tangible, and in the end, it allows them to retain that information and make it a meaningful experience."

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The approach responds to something teenagers intuitively understand: learning matters more when it connects to where you actually are.

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Small by Design

Clark Fork Prep will be small. Class sizes will be limited to allow teachers to know every student.

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"When you know them, you can really help them grow," Dickson says. "When you have those small class sizes and you're really known, I think it also gives you the safety to be a learner together. Because you can't learn if you're not feeling safe and supported."

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Small classes mean teachers can meet students where they are rather than teaching to the middle of a large group. It means students can take intellectual risks without fear of public failure in front of 30 classmates.

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Clark Fork Prep won't be right for every family. But for some families (those looking for a small, community-centered environment where place-based learning and academic rigor drives the curriculum) it might be exactly what they've been waiting for.

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We worked with them to make a video that could help with fundraising and enrollment efforts. You can learn more about the school at clarkforkprep.org.

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Clark Fork Prep is trying to change that.

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Opening in the renovated old library building downtown, Clark Fork Prep is building an independent high school around small class sizes and place-based education. The founders are experienced educators with decades of teaching behind them, and they're betting that teenagers want something more than just surviving high school. 

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We worked with them to make a video that could help with fundraising and enrollment. The biggest challenge we faced was that the school didn't really exist yet. At least not in the way most schools do when you're trying to tell their story.

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High school can be formative in the best sense. Teenagers deserve educational options that fit how they learn and what they need. Clark Fork Prep is offering one more option in a town that could use it.

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You can learn more about Clark Fork Prep at clarkforkprep.org.

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