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Cranbrook Schools

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This article is about the private Pre K-12 school in the United States; For alternate uses, including other Cranbrook Schools, see Cranbrook (disambiguation).

Cranbrook Schools
File:Cranbrook School Archer.png
Location
Map
Bloomfield Hills
,
MI

USA
Information
TypePrivate, Boarding
MottoCranbrook: "Aim High"
Kingswood: "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve"
Established1922
Head teacherArlyce Seibert
Faculty105
Enrollment770 Total
263 Boarding
507 Day
Student to teacher ratio8:1
Campus319 acres
Color(s)Green and Blue
Athletics18 Interscholastic Sports
Athletics conferenceMichigan Metro
MascotCranbrook Crane
Kingswood Aardvark
Websiteschools.cranbrook.edu

Cranbrook Schools is a private, PK-12 school located on a 319-acre campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The Cranbrook community was established in 1904 by publishing mogul George Booth. Cranbrook Schools is part of the Cranbrook Educational Community (CEC), which also includes the Cranbrook Institute of Science, the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Cranbrook House and Gardens. Cranbrook is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places for its exquisite architecture and design, which attracts tourists from around the world. Approximately 40 acres of Cranbrook Schools' campus are gardens. As of 2006, Cranbrook Schools has an endowment of $207 million.

History of Cranbrook Schools

In 1915, George and Ellen Booth opened a portion of their property to the general public with the construction of the Greek Theatre. Today, it is still used as an outdoors theatre by students at Cranbrook Schools. In 1918, the Booths built the Meeting House, which became the Bloomfield Hills School, opening for local children in 1922. Its name was changed to Brookside School in 1930. Today, approximately 500 students are also enrolled in kindergarten or grades 1-6 at the Vlasic Early Childhood Center, which opened in 1996.

The Booths embarked on their greatest building project in the 1920s, when they decided to build a college preparatory school. Cranbrook School for Boys, which began operations in 1927 and was completed in 1928, was designed by world-renowned Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. The name "Cranbrook" was chosen since Cranbrook, England was the birthplace of George Booth's father. Kingswood School for Girls, also designed by Saarinen, opened in 1931. In building Cranbrook School and Kingswood School, Booth and Saarinen were greatly influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, which began in 19th century England. Although Cranbrook School and Kingswood School were originally Episcopalian, both schools have since secularized, with special occasions still celebrated at Christ Church Cranbrook.

Cranbrook School, Kingswood School, and Brookside School operated separately until a decision in 1970 to govern them all together. This was soon followed by the creation of the Cranbrook Educational Community. The middle school was divided into two campuses in 1984. This decision was helped along by the Community's acquisition of Vaughan School, which remains the home of the boys' middle school, with 165 boys enrolled. A small portion of Kingswood is now the girls' middle school, with 166 girls enrolled. All classes with the exception of performing arts (Symphonic Band and Orchestra) are separate for boys and girls of grades 6-8, while English, religion, and history classes remain separate through the 10th grade.

Many publications today offer a more in-depth history on Cranbrook schools, as well as the entire Cranbrook Educational Community. Notable titles include Kathryn Bishop Eckert's "The Campus Guide: Cranbrook" and Elizabeth C. Clark's "Beside a Lake".

The Quad in the Cranbrook Campus

Cranbrook Schools Today

In 1984, Cranbrook School and Kingswood School were merged to create a coeducational upper school -- Cranbrook Kingswood. While the majority of the classes are coeducational, Conceptual Physics and 9th grade and 10th grade English and History classes still remain divided by gender for educational purposes. Classes remain taught on both of the original Cranbrook and Kingswood campuses. Frequently, the school is referred to as "CK" by its students, faculty, and alumni. Cranbrook Kingswood now lays claim to 70 athletic teams, which have recently won state championships in hockey, tennis, lacrosse, and golf. As of 2006, there are 763 students, approximately 1/3 of which are boarding students who live in single-sex residence halls.

A college preparatory school, Cranbrook Kingswood offers a comprehensive program that includes 15 Advanced Placement courses in its upper school. More than a 1/3 of AP Scholars in Michigan attend Cranbrook Kingswood. Despite the fairly extensive AP offerings, the school still restricts students to a maximum of 3 AP courses per school year. Its graduates often matriculate into the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Harvard University, Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Pennsylvania. Cranbrook Kingswood accepts slightly more than a 1/3 of applicants, making it one of the most competitive preparatory schools in the United States.

Many of the interscholastic and extracurricular programs offered at Cranbrook have won awards and recognitions. The student newspaper "The Crane-Clarion" has been recognized by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association. The robotics and forensics team has also won several state awards. "Gallimufry", the Upper School's student literary arts magazine, was recently awarded the Gold Crown award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia University.

Cranbrook Kingswood is also well known for its diversity; numerous students from South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan among other countries, attend. Approximately 11% of Cranbrook Kingswood's students are international students. Traditionally, Cranbrook School also has an exchange program with a boarding school in Cranbrook, England in honor of George Booth's heritage.

Notable alumni

See also

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