The John Cooper School delights in diversity with its International Day Celebration and Parade

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Members and expatriates of more than three dozen different countries around the world make up the international community of The John Cooper School’s student body.

The school’s ethnic populace epitomizes the global reach of The Township. Currently, The Woodlands has a population of approximately 122,200 residents, with projections indicating a growing trend with an annual growth rate of 1.47%. The racial composition of The Woodlands includes 68.17% White, 6.7% Asian, 4.03% Black or African American, 3.53% other race, and smaller percentages for Native American and multiracial populations. 23.4% of residents speak a language other than English at home. 76.5% are U.S.-born citizens, 12.4% are naturalized citizens, and 11.2% are non-citizens.

Thus, while The Woodlands has a non-White community of nearly 32 percent, the student body of The John Cooper School includes 47 percent who are students of color, spotlighting Cooper’s strong grasp of global and human affairs and relationships. The school continues the grand tradition that was originally envisioned by George Mitchell himself, the creator of The Woodlands, when he dedicated 43 acres of land to build an exceptional independent school that was aligned with the mission of the community here in The Woodlands. Since its opening in 1988, under the guidance of several Heads of School over the decades, the school has grown from an enrollment of merely 175 students to nearly 1,500 today.

In honor of its history and diversity, the school puts on an annual International Day event, where the younger students partake in special festivities and a schoolwide parade where they march in the clothing of their individual heritages. A week previously, the older students celebrated their own global awareness day with the school’s International Food Festival, where nearly a dozen local restaurants of different ethnic cuisines set up shop and fed them their foreign fares.

With his strong background in education – which includes a doctorate in education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University – the Head of School, Dr. Stephen Popp, has guided the school to its next level since assuming his position there in 2021. Recognitions of his contributions to The Woodlands community have been seen in his listing in the Houston Business Journal’s ‘Top 25 People to Know in The Woodlands’ and the school’s 2024 honoring as a Hometown Hero by Interfaith of The Woodlands, acknowledging its commitment to service and academic excellence. At the lower school parade, Woodlands Online caught up with Dr. Stephen Popp, the current Head of School.

“This is a wonderful annual celebration of the rich diversity that we have here at the school,” he said. “We have students from all over the world, at least 43 different countries, and it is so wonderful to see the kids dressed up, replete with attire from their home countries and the countries from which their families are from. It’s such a celebration of the community here.”

The John Cooper School, beyond its international curricula, also boasts a strong fine arts, sciences, and athletics program in the area, resulting in frequent top listings in ‘Best of’ surveys locally, regionally, and nationally.