Since its earliest days, Northwest has offered high-quality education to children in Maryville, and that tradition continues today with offerings for children from birth through sixth grade Located centrally on Northwest’s campus in the Everett Brown Education Hall, the Horace Mann Laboratory School enrolls children in kindergarten through sixth grade, and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families offers both an early child care center for children from 6 weeks to 3 years of age and a preschool.
Horace Mann and the Leet Center place an emphasis on innovative and interactive teaching practices accompanied with individualized instruction by dedicated and caring faculty and staff. While benefiting from Northwest programs and activities, the school’s teachers also incorporate state-of-the-art technology into students’ learning.
Horace Mann and the Leet Center also serve as clinical teaching environments for students in Northwest’s School of Education. The relationship between master teachers, practicum teachers and graduate assistants allows children to reap the benefits of low student-to-teacher ratio in classrooms that implement innovative teaching practices and provide learning experiences designed to stimulate each child’s creative learning abilities and problem-solving skills.
Offering a core curriculum and working in concert with the University, Horace Mann and the Leet Center offer unique learning opportunities, which have included guitar lessons, the study of robotics, lessons about crops and animals at the University farm, and Spanish and sign language lessons. Students from multiple countries also add to the school’s diverse environment.
The schools offer a traditional nine-month academic calendar for elementary-age and preschool students as well as a year-round daycare programs for infants and toddlers. After school care, known as Bearcat Club, also is available.
“As a parent I have been really impressed with Horace Mann. My son is always proud to show me his work.”
Daniel Boyt
Former Horace Mann Parent
From caring faculty, staff and administration
Rigorous, rich and varied curriculum focused on the child
Access to University programs and activities
Opportunities for student leadership and service learning
Innovative and interactive teaching practices
"A higher education begins here"
