University Prep

University Prep
Main entrance in August 2015
Address
8000 25th Avenue NE Seattle, Washington 98115-4600 United States
Information
Type	Private (independent) middle school and high school
Religious affiliation(s)	unaffiliated
Established	1976 (1976)
Head of School	Matt Levinson
Grades	6-12
Enrollment	533
Student to teacher ratio	9:1
Color(s)	Blue and Green
Athletics	Soccer Cross Country Volleyball Ultimate Basketball Baseball Softball Track and Field Tennis
Mascot	Puma
Newspaper	The Puma Press
Website	www.universityprep.org

University Prep, formerly known as University Preparatory Academy and now popularly known as U Prep, is an independent, coeducational middle and high school located in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The campus sits just across the street from Dahl Playfield and is adjacent to the Picardo Farm, the original P-Patch (community garden area).

Approximately 530 students attend University Prep. The Upper School, which includes grades nine through twelve, enrolls about 320 students, and the Middle School, which includes grades six through eight, has about 210 students. Academic classes average sixteen students, and there is a student-to-faculty ratio of nine-to-one.

University Prep was founded in 1976 by a small group of Seattle Public School teachers dedicated to providing the best possible education to a heterogeneous student body. From 2002 to 2014, the head of school of University Prep was Erica L. Hamlin. The current head of school is Matt Levinson.

University Prep's campus has four main buildings: the three-story classroom and administrative building (including a library, cafeteria, and meeting spaces), a classroom building, a gymnasium, and the fine arts center, which features a state-of-the-art proscenium theater known as Founder's Hall as well as art and practice rooms. The adjacent Dahl Playfield is used for sports and other activities.

The school year is organized into two semesters, and students are expected to carry a minimum of five classes each semester. School hours are 8 a.m. to 2:50 p.m., after which athletics, activities, and after-school programs begin. In addition to academic classes, the day includes electives, physical education, supervised study, and free periods for Upper School students. The school transitioned from a Moodle education software client to a Schoology-based learning management system.