Academics

Lower School

Starting Your Journey

Lower School is a place where girls are loved and cared for, where they make lifelong friends, and where they develop their identities as learners, creators, collaborators, and leaders.
The Lower School provides a nurturing, supportive, and fun environment for our students. Teachers are flexible, cooperative, collaborative, and passionate about their subject matter, and there is also a strong sense of community between administration, teachers, staff, and parents.
 
The Lower School meets the needs of each learner, and Lower School teachers have a willingness and desire to be innovative. The curriculum includes the highly anticipated Fourth Grade Create, Collaborate, Innovate (CCI) class, which focuses on the world of STEAM, a coding program that gives a hands-on approach to computer programming, and mindfulness activities that cultivate resilience and perseverance in our girls. 
 
Lower School is a place full of joy, growth, and preparation. Every day is filled with excitement and discovery as each student finds her love of learning. Our open and collaborative community is not only connected by the love of learning but also by empathy and inclusion to help girls thrive.

 

Lower School Pledge

EACH AND EVERY HOCK-A-DAY, I PLEDGE TO LIVE THE HOCK-A-WAY, WITH: RESPECT, FRIENDSHIP, EMPATHY, HONESTY, RESPONSIBILITY, AND PERSEVERANCE.

Student to Teacher Ratio

List of 3 items.

  • 16:1

    First – Fourth Grades

  • 6:1

    Pre-Kindergarten

  • 8:1

    Kinder and Primer

Lower School Outcomes

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The Hockaday Lower School experience is driven by the following:

List of 4 frequently asked questions.

  • COLLABORATION

    Working together with others to achieve a common goal

    In the classroom, it means students listen to each other’s ideas, share responsibilities, and solve problems as a team. Through collaboration, girls learn important social skills like communication, empathy, and compromise. Encouraging collaboration helps build a positive classroom community where everyone feels valued and learns from one another.

  • WONDER

    A feeling of curiosity and amazement that encourages girls to explore, ask questions, and learn more about the world around them

    It's that spark in a student’s eyes when she sees something new or puzzling. Cultivating wonder in the classroom means prioritizing curiosity over knowledge, asking questions over being right, and an ongoing pursuit of growing through learning. Wonder helps students stay engaged, think creatively, and develop a lifelong love of learning.
     

  • AGENCY

    A student’s ability to make choices, take initiative, and influence her own learning

    It means girls understand that their voices matter and that they can have a say in how they learn and what they create. When students have agency, they feel empowered to set goals, solve problems, and take responsibility for their actions. Supporting agency in the classroom helps girls become confident, independent thinkers who are actively engaged in their own growth.

  • RESILIENCE

    The ability to bounce back from challenges, mistakes, or tough situations with a positive attitude and the willingness to try again

    For students, it means learning how to keep going even when something feels hard—like solving a tricky math problem or getting along with a classmate after a disagreement. Building resilience helps girls grow stronger emotionally, develop confidence, and become more prepared to handle future obstacles in and out of the classroom.
     
     

Take The Next Step

Just as we encourage our girls to be curious and engage in the process of discovery, we encourage and invite you to visit our campus and experience a day at Hockaday.

The Hockaday School

11600 Welch Road
Dallas, TX 75229
(214) 363-6311
Within the private school community, The Hockaday School is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls from grades PK–12 located in Dallas, Texas. Students realize their limitless potential through challenging academic curricula, arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs so that they are inspired to lead lives of purpose and impact.

The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.