Menaul School is truly an international school with a campus in Albuquerque, as well as Qingdao, China. Dr. Julie Bean, President and Head of School, told us, “It's truly a global community because we have kids from 30 different countries and all over New Mexico as well so it's just a really special place. We also have students from Native American nations and pueblos. We’re a co-educational college preparatory school with both day and boarding school students, 6th through 12 grades. There are about 80 boarding students here now.”
Menaul School was established by the Presbyterian Church in 1896 as a training school for Spanish-speaking boys. The school became co-educational in 1934, and after WWII, began serving a more diverse demographic, including international students.
Dr. Bean tells us that, “We offer a really diverse curriculum. We have over 14 Advanced Placement courses that we provide to students. We have incredible fine arts programs. We have theater and music. We have an incredible athletic program as well, so our kids here really have the ability to be academics, artists, or athletes. Many students compete in regional and national competitions in fine arts, science and athletics. So, our kids really have the opportunity to partake in any kind of activities. We want our kids to be well-rounded. We have 14 Advance Program courses.”
The sports programs are very remarkable, with a history of winning championships that goes back over one hundred years.
Dr. Bean says, “We are truly a college preparatory school in all senses of the word. We have 14 Advance Placement courses. When our students start here in middle school, we're starting them on a college preparatory track learning how to properly write...not necessarily using computers all the time. We've also implemented some strategies for our students where they have to sometimes take real time tests using an old-fashioned composition notebook...so our kids are really prepared, learning how to write and not just relying on AI and ChatGPT, so we get an opportunity to grade them based on truly what they can do...not what they can generate off of a computer.”
The school’s 28-acre campus features many historic structures and is New Mexico’s largest collection of Mission Revival buildings. Allison Hall, built in 1934, contains the Menaul Historical Library which is a repository of Presbyterian Heritage in the southwest. It is available to researchers and is visited by historians from all over the world. It is currently being refurbished with an archival-grade system for better historical document preservation.
Despite the school’s faith-based origins, Dr. Bean tells us, “We have students from all over the world, so we welcome all religions. We encourage students to discuss their different faiths. I really think that the students that we're putting forth into the world after coming to Menaul School are educated not only in the classroom but we're making sure that they're ready for college and for the workforce, as well as have the opportunity to live and grow and learn with students from all over the world.”
Menaul School is located at 301 Menaul Blvd NE. Their phone number is 505.343.7480.