Spotlight On: Stephen Popp, Head of School, The John Cooper School

November 2025 — In an interview with Invest:, Stephen Popp, head of school for The John Cooper School, highlighted the institution’s commitment to student well-being and forward-focused education. Popp also detailed strategic priorities, including pedagogical innovation, the responsible integration of artificial intelligence, and providing transformative, holistic student experiences. “At The John Cooper School, our mission emphasizes skills that travel: critical and creative thinking, effective communication, responsible citizenship, leadership, and lifelong learning,” Popp said.

What developments in the past year have most significantly influenced The John Cooper School’s operations and strategic direction?

Over the last year, we’ve stayed focused on our mission, prioritizing the student experience at our independent school. We’re in the third year of our strategic plan, aimed at providing transformative opportunities for students now and in the future. This includes investing in pedagogical innovations, supporting faculty through internal workshops for curricular alignment and professional growth, and expanding opportunities for independent research. Our students already access over 60 courses through the Global Online Academy, taught by independent school teachers worldwide, in addition to our robust curriculum here at Cooper.

We also emphasize a holistic education, and we are proud of our new 26,000-square-foot athletic facility for our students, 75% of whom participate in athletics. Additionally, we’ve developed an innovation space within our visual arts center, integrating technology and dynamic tools, and have plans for a new innovation and arts center on our horizon. We’re intentionally exploring artificial intelligence, ensuring students and teachers use it responsibly and ethically. Through these collaborative efforts on campus, and with our parents and alumni in the field, we are seeing great outcomes.

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How do you see the school contributing to the broader Houston community, both economically and socially?

We were founded in 1988 and were part of the master plan of The Woodlands founder George Mitchell. The John Cooper School was envisioned as a catalyst for good, industry, and innovation in The Woodlands and the Greater North Houston area. Spanning 43 acres, our mission is to challenge and care for students and cultivate responsible citizens and leaders. Our 1,380 students are from 45 countries, representing 900 families, and we actively serve The Woodlands and Houston communities, fostering their growth. This rich diversity at Cooper welcomes families relocating globally, while also supporting regional economic growth.

As educators, we emphasize mental health and emotional intelligence, earning recognition as a spotlight school by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. We mentor other schools and present at regional and national conferences, sharing expertise to ensure student and community success.

Which national and state-level education trends do you believe will most impact how your school delivers education in the coming years?

At The John Cooper School, our mission emphasizes skills that travel: critical and creative thinking, effective communication, responsible citizenship, leadership, and lifelong learning. In today’s complex and uncertain landscape, we prioritize cultivating a nimble, intellectually curious mindset in our students. These transferable skills are essential not only for the present but also for the future, preparing students for college and careers that may not yet exist. As a college preparatory school, we recognize the dynamic changes in education and industry, with new majors emerging on university campuses. Our focus is equipping students with the skill set to navigate both opportunities and challenges in this evolving world, ensuring they are ready for a future of tremendous dynamism and change.

How does your curriculum incorporate experiential learning and real-world applications, particularly in preparing students for tomorrow’s workplace?

At The John Cooper School, our students, from 4-year-olds to 18-year-olds, learn best through experiential engagement with the curriculum, both on and off campus. We foster an intellectually curious mindset, encouraging students to thoughtfully address dilemmas and opportunities with diverse perspectives, building knowledge to solve problems and enhance life. This innovation thread, increasingly vital across industries, universities, and schools, drives students to apply learning to improve the world. We’re committed to expanding opportunities through new facilities and programming, ensuring immersive, transformative experiences.

Central to our approach is placing students at the core, amplifying their voices, creativity, and analytical thinking. While our expert teachers guide with pedagogical expertise, we prioritize student agency, fostering ownership of learning that translates to college and careers.

How is the school preparing students to use AI responsibly, and are there other technologies or innovations you are excited about for the future of education?

As head of school, my omnivorous curiosity and love for reading keep me engaged with rapidly evolving technologies like artificial intelligence. Ethan Mollick’s “Co-Intelligence” suggests that grappling with AI’s integration into daily life can be profound, even existential. At The John Cooper School, we’ve collaboratively developed guidelines with faculty, staff, and students to responsibly integrate AI into assignments and assessments. We focus on balancing AI’s potential with human agency, emphasizing conversation, discussion, and collaboration. While AI offers personalized learning opportunities, we prioritize community and collaborative experiences to prepare students for universities and careers. Our intentional approach ensures students develop critical skills to work effectively with others, fostering a community-driven response to technology’s opportunities, now and in the future.

We must still teach students to read, write, think critically, and solve problems; we can’t replace that intellectual process. At the same time, if technologies help us see, frame, and contextualize ideas more accurately, they can enhance learning. I sense a cautious but genuine optimism about these emerging tools from parents and experts.

Looking ahead, what are the school’s top priorities for the next three to five years?

At The John Cooper School, we prioritize a holistic student experience, offering opportunities in academics, arts, and athletics. We’re focused on integrating innovation across multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary programs on our 43-acre campus in the verdant Woodlands, just 30 miles north of Houston. Embracing the area’s vibrant arts, culture, and businesses, we honor George Mitchell’s vision as The Woodlands’ independent school. As the community grows, we’re planning purposeful, strategic expansion to meet rising demand for a John Cooper education while maintaining our intentional community. With 1,380 students, we ensure every student feels known and cared for, fostering a supportive environment that upholds our commitment to personalized, transformative education.

We are also proud of our eight- to nine-year focus on fostering a caring community, emphasizing emotional intelligence and well-being. We recognize that stressors are inevitable, but as our director of wellness, Dr. Diego Estrada, says, “You cannot stop the waves, but we can teach students to surf.” Through our partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, we’ve developed initiatives that benefit our campus and other schools. Our faculty and staff share a mindset valuing emotional understanding. My doctoral work at Vanderbilt on mental health in independent schools underscores the real pressures youth face, driving our responsibility to share our insights globally.

Located in The Woodlands, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, we’re nearing our 40th and are energized by the community’s synergy, excited for the future of our students and region.

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