Maharishi School was established in 1981 to do something few schools attempt: develop students’ awareness and alertness while giving them a rigorous college-preparatory education. What began as one small school in Fairfield, Iowa, became the model for Consciousness-Based Education around the world.
How We Began
The school opened in 1981 on the campus of Maharishi International University as an elementary school for the children of faculty and staff. It grew quickly, adding the secondary school and completing what was then the world’s first seamless system of Consciousness-Based Education, preschool through Ph.D.
Accreditation followed the work: the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) accredited the school in 1986, and in 1987 the Iowa Department of Education granted Special Accreditation as a college-preparatory school. Since 2013, the school has held Independent Accreditation with the state for all grades, and it is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
The campus grew with it: Hopson Hall (1989) now houses the administrative offices and the Elementary, Middle, and High Schools; historic Foster Hall, built in 1903, holds much of the High School STEAM program; the Student Center and Greenhouse completed the quad in 1997; and Hildenbrand Hall opened in 2018 as home for the boarding program.
Our Founder
The school bears the name of its founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — teacher, scientist, and humanitarian, who introduced the Transcendental Meditation technique to the world. His larger contribution to education was the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI): a systematic study of the principles underlying the structure and functioning of the world, designed as grade-level curriculum so that any subject can be connected both to the laws of nature and to the student’s own self. That curriculum lives on today in our Consciousness, Connections, and Life Skills (CCLS) classes.
Developing the full creative potential of consciousness makes students masters of their life… Such individuals are the result of Consciousness-Based Education.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi