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MMeridianInternational School
Red-brick academic building with a landscaped courtyard
About Meridian

A school built with intention, for 28 years.

From a single leased building in 1998 to a 22-acre campus serving students from 64 nations — here's how Meridian came to be, and what still drives it.

Our Story

Twenty-eight years of doing this deliberately.

Meridian was founded in 1998 by a small group of educators who believed international education should mean more than an international student body — it should mean a fundamentally global way of thinking, taught with rigor and care.

1998

Meridian is founded

Opens on a single leased building with 84 students and 12 faculty, offering Early Years through Grade 6.

2004

IB World School authorization

Becomes an authorized IB World School, launching the Primary Years Programme.

2011

Willowbrook Heights campus opens

Relocates to the current 22-acre purpose-built campus, tripling enrollment capacity.

2016

Full IB Continuum achieved

Adds the Middle Years and Diploma Programmes, completing the IB Continuum from Early Years to Grade 12.

2022

Science & Innovation Wing

Opens a dedicated STEM facility with fabrication labs, a maker space, and competitive robotics workshops.

2026

28 years, 64 nations

Now home to over 2,400 students from 64 countries, with graduates at leading universities in 30+ countries.

Our Mission

To provide a rigorous, globally minded education that prepares every student to think critically, act with integrity, and lead with empathy — wherever their path takes them.

Our Vision

A world made better by graduates who carry Meridian's balance of intellectual rigor and genuine character into every community they join.

Our Core Values

Curiosity

We protect the questions students bring with them, and teach them to ask better ones.

Integrity

We hold ourselves and our students to the same standard: do the right thing, especially when no one is watching.

Compassion

Academic excellence and genuine kindness are not in tension here — we expect both.

Courage

We teach students to take on hard problems, risk being wrong, and try again.

Community

Sixty-four nations, one campus — we treat that diversity as our greatest teaching tool.

Excellence

Not perfection — the discipline to keep improving, in the classroom and beyond it.

Leadership

The team steering Meridian forward.

Educators and administrators with decades of combined experience across international schools on four continents.

Portrait of the Head of School in a professional office setting

Dr. Eleanor Whitfield

Head of School

Ed.D., University of Cambridge

Portrait of a school leader in glasses and a suit

James Okonkwo

Deputy Head of School

M.Ed., Harvard Graduate School of Education

Portrait of a senior school leader

Dr. Marcus Aldridge

Director of Admissions

Ph.D., Educational Leadership, UCLA

Outdoor portrait of a school leader

Sofia Marchetti

Head of Primary School

M.A., International Education, IOE London

Campus & Infrastructure

A campus built for how children actually learn.

22 acres of purpose-built academic, athletic, and creative facilities in Willowbrook Heights.

Tall rows of bookshelves in the school library

The Whitfield Library

Two floors of quiet study, research collections, and collaborative reading rooms at the heart of campus.

Glass beakers and flasks arranged on a lab bench

Science & Innovation Wing

Wet labs, a fabrication studio, and dedicated robotics workshops for hands-on STEM learning.

A swimmer racing in an outdoor pool lane

Aquatics Center

A full-size competition pool supporting varsity swimming and campus-wide swim instruction.

A runner in starting position on a track

Track & Athletics Complex

All-weather track, multi-sport fields, and strength facilities supporting 22 competitive teams.

Students filling a large lecture hall

The Whitfield Theatre

A 500-seat performance venue hosting drama, orchestra, and the annual arts festival.

Red-brick academic building with a landscaped courtyard

The Meridian Commons

The tree-lined heart of campus, connecting every academic building and gathering space.

Accredited & Recognized By

IB World School
Cambridge International
CIS Accredited
WASC Accredited
COBIS Member

Ready to begin your child's Meridian journey?

Applications for the 2026–27 school year are open. Our admissions team is ready to guide your family through every step.