The Roeper School is a pre-K through Grade 12 independent school located on two campuses in Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, Michigan.  Founded in 1941 by George and Annemarie Roeper, refugees from the Nazi regime in Germany, the school is based on the conviction that a resilient and sturdy emotional life and the ability to collaborate with empathy and skill are the foundations for a happy and productive life. In 1956, the school transitioned to applying its educational philosophy to gifted child education, making it the oldest independent school for gifted students in the United States.

The school’s mission statement is “Educating and inspiring gifted students to think as individuals and to engage as a community with compassion for each other and this world.” To support that mission, the school seeks to create a diverse environment by providing financial aid to 43% of its families, which come from more than 60 communities in Metro Detroit. One-third of its students and faculty are people of color. Committed as well to a process of shared decision-making, the school is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes designated seats for students, faculty, parents, and alumni.

For more information, see the school’s official website.

The Roeper School extends a grateful thank you to the careful and committed individuals who over the years have helped excavate, organize, digitize, and uncover treasures in the Roeper School Archives: Denita Banks-Sims, Max Baumkel ’09, Jules Eddy ’15, Diana Elshoff, Clara Gamalski ’07, Eleanor Gamalski ’11, Madison Gladney ’20, Janice Haines, Karen Johnson, Adam Klein ’10, Rosalie Lake, Pat Lawrence, Laurie Lisi, Lori Lutz ’75, Joe Oldenburg, Erica Parker ’13, Wendy Roberts, Marcia Ruff, Bonnie Schemm, Jeremy Schemm ’92, and Elliot Silk ’18.  Thank you, too, to Jon Wilcox ’03, for his brilliant website design. Thank you all for your enduring appreciation for the story of this school.