EXTRAORDINARYIS WITHIN REACH
Come grow, reach, and thrive at Joplin’s only independent college prep school for Pre-K through 12th Grade.
Start Here.
Start Now.
Go Anywhere.
Come challenge yourself and explore your full potential at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School – Joplin, Missouri’s only independent liberal arts college preparatory school for Pre-K through 12th Grade.
At TJ, students are able to set their pathway to extraordinary futures through academic excellence balanced by a focus on character development and a wide range of co- and extra-curricular opportunities. Here, we work hard to achieve excellence and put in our best effort, every single day – but we do that work together, in a warm and inclusive community that is full of support. At TJ, we celebrate differences and know that the wider the variety of students and families who come here, the more opportunities we’ll all have – and the deeper and richer our experiences will be.
HERE IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
TJ by the numbers
There are so many reasons to choose a TJ education.
325
PK to 12 students at our school
16
average class size
100%
of grads accepted to four-year colleges and universities
$4M
average scholarship offers per graduating class
50
clubs, teams, and activities
70%
faculty with advanced degrees
20
AP classes
29
average ACT score
Our Academic Programs
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Pre-K and Kindergarten
Our Early Childhood program helps your child develop a love for learning and sets the stage for academic success.
LOWER SCHOOL
Grades 1 to 5
Our Lower School program helps your child develop essential academic skills in literacy, mathematics, and studying.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Grades 6 to 8
Our Middle School program helps your child transition from childhood to adolescence through personal and academic development in preparation for the Upper School program.
UPPER SCHOOL
Grades 9 to 12
Our Upper School program prepares your child for college through an immersive liberal arts curriculum.
Come Visit Our Campus
We’d love to welcome your family on campus for a personalized tour.
Is TJ Right for You?
Our admissions team would love to provide more information and help you decide.
Apply to Attend TJ
Learn more about our application process and start yours today.
Tuition Assistance
Learn how we’re making world class education accessible for families like yours.
From the TJ Community
Joshua Young
Class of 2029
I love that the kids and the teachers are all so inclusive. They just accepted me into the family right away. They’re really great friends. They really are focused on building you up and making sure that you learn what you need to learn to be successful in life.
Jeanna Jeyaraj
Class of 2025
I love the community that it’s fostered. I think it’s made me into the person I am today. It’s grown me into this mature, kinder person just because I’m around these incredible people and these people who are always striving to be their best. I appreciate it for everything it’s done for me. I love my classmates; I love my teachers. Every single life skill that I’ve learned within these walls has and will help me for the rest of my life. I really think that we’ve just created this really awesome place where you can just learn and not have to feel bad about loving learning.
Myla Gonzalez
Class of 2033
It’s like a new adventure every day.
Trenton Farley
Class of 2026
One of my favorite things about TJ is the availability of teachers. We have the tutorial time after school from 3:15-4:00pm where you can go and see teachers, talk to them about homework, or what you’re confused about in class. And it’s a really great opportunity to better bond with teachers and get a closer connection.
Shauna Tharp
Teacher, Director of Middle & Upper School
TJ is a really special place, I think. It’s a place where everybody feels at home. We work really hard to make sure that kids can be themselves while still being pushed to excel. We have a very rigorous curriculum, so it’s pushing kids to think deeper and think differently.
Laura McDonald
Head of School
All of our teachers try to make the most of each student’s ability and really strive for excellence on a daily basis in everything they do. No matter what they want to study in college, whether it is music or art, or maybe it’s STEM or pre-med, they’re fully prepared to meet those challenges.
Chris Freeborg
Parent & Member of the Board of Trustees
You have teachers that not only are experts in the field that they’re teaching, they also really care about the students.
Jacob Gutwillig
TJ Alumni, Class of 2005
The value of a Thomas Jefferson education is evident from the school’s mission statement, which includes ‘to acquire and refine essential academic knowledge and skills.’ One cornerstone of that is forming a broad base of knowledge and an understanding of the world through a liberal arts, civics education. I can confidently say that in my own career, working as a prosecutor focusing on terrorism and international narcotics, this baseline of knowledge has been and continues to be extraordinarily helpful.
Brandi and Steve Norman
3rd grade parents
We are happy to be a part of the TJ family. The culture is inviting, and we feel that the teachers are well acquainted with our child and have his best interests at heart, even after knowing him for a short time. We have already noticed a change in him. He is excited to go to school every day and has made the comment that it is wonderful to be challenged. On the weekends, when we drive by the school, he proudly announces, “There’s my school. I love it there.”