With small classes and low student-to-teacher ratios, our Kindergarten through 6th graders develop strong, meaningful relationships with their teachers and classmates. Knowing our students well allows our experienced teachers to personalize students' learning experiences to help them grow and thrive. At Foothills, we believe in a well-rounded and creative educational foundation and all of our students spend time learning Music, Visual & Performing Arts, Spanish, and Global Studies. We want to stretch and challenge our students while also instilling in them a sense of belonging, well-being, and joy.

Our play-based preschool program is largely influenced by the tenets of schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. We take a progressive approach to education and see our Early Learner students as strong, capable learners, whose great questions and ideas inspire and guide exploration and learning in the classroom. By focusing on students' social and emotional growth, we find that our students are more willing to open up to be themselves and to stretch themselves intellectually.

Early Learner

Our Junior High encompasses 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. In addition to maintaining an inclusive, kind community, we want our middle school students to be comfortable facing academic challenges through thoughtful, engaging work. Student work becomes increasingly complex as our older students stretch their thinking to consider diverse perspectives on issues, especially related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We also want our students to find joy in their learning experiences and to feel at home at Foothills, embracing their role as leaders.

Elementary Program

Junior High

Foothills School is a private, independent PreK-9th grade school in downtown Boise, Idaho.

Curious, Creative & Confident Learners'

Foothills students are valued as unique learners and people, innovative thinkers, and caring community members, who have the skills and passion to make the world better.

“At Foothills, I learned not to accept a given solution at face value, to find an answer for myself, and to be an inquisitive and independent thinker. I am grateful for the thirst for knowledge that this has provided me and to have an autonomous view of the rest of the world.”

-Matty Gerber, former student

3 & 4-Year-olds

Kindergarten - Grade 6

Grades 7-9

Foothills School believes that a diverse school community is essential to education and that such a community includes a spectrum of differences in race, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, and learning style. To this end, Foothills' admissions and hiring practices strive to recruit, enroll/hire, and retain as diverse a population as is feasible in the community.

Curious, Creative & Confident Learners

Join us for an Open House!

Thursday, November 3, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

We are hosting our Fall Open House on Thursday, November 3, 2022, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. for prospective families and current families with siblings for the 2023-2024 school year. 

Open House will provide an opportunity for families to learn more about the benefits of a Foothills education, hear from teachers and school leaders, ask questions, talk with our Admissions Director, and see if Foothills might be a good fit for their family.

Registration Required - RSVP by January 20 (prospective parents and guardians may attend for all or part of the event, and COVID protocols will be required)

Join us for a tour to learn more about Foothills School