Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi has had a renowned reputation as one of the state’s finest college prep institutions for over fifty years. The school has excelled in academics and athletics throughout its history.  Up until now, Jackson Prep has been a 6-12 school.  Ferguson & Associates Architecture was commissioned to help add a K-5 component to its campus.

Initial desires were to have a separate facility, but have a connection to the school proper.  The site plan called for separation for the carpool traffic with distinct characteristics needed to keep the student safe and make the egress and entry efficient. The Elementary School location allows for a 60-car carpool line that does not interfere with the rest of the campus.  The Middle School and High School are located along a campus promenade.  The Lower School is located at a round-a-bout inserted at the end of the promenade.  This reinforces the promenade as the main axis of the campus where future academic building will be sited.

The main design concept for this facility was to emphasize the collegiate atmosphere, but while interweaving a fun, creative and colorful whimsy into the facility.  The design utilizes a strict grid layout incorporating curves imitating other areas of the campus.  The Lower School site also includes outdoor “Labs” for students, two age specific play spaces and allows for future classroom growth with Gymnatorium and Cafeteria.

The Facility is made up of 20 classrooms, Media Room, Art Room, STEM lab, Tech Lab and Creative Studies Area with support spaces and Administration.  The Facility is 25,146s.f. on two levels and serves up to 500 students. The building is broken into four “Halls”.  They consist of the Wonder Hall, Explore Hall, Create Hall and the Discover Hall.  The Wonder Hall houses the young student with focus on growth and wonder.  The Media Room in the Explore Hall is set up to mimic a woodland scene with tree and cloud ceiling structures and earth and river floor coverings. The large Art Room anchors the Create Hall to serve the entire facility.  This area focused on creative color.  The Stem and Tech area anchor the Discover Hall. This area focuses on space and exploration.