History & Traditions

The Princeton Junior School story began in 1983 in a church basement with four teachers and twelve preschool students under the leadership of co-founders, Juliana McIntyre Fenn and Helen Craven.  As enrollment increased over the years, the school rented various facilities in the Princeton area and purchased a parcel of farmland in 1992 for the construction of our schoolhouse.  Completed in 1998, on ten acres of meadows, woods and woodlands in Princeton, New Jersey, PJS was designed to be an oasis of learning for young students.

PJS is a source of many thoughtful traditions and special events that have been maintained throughout the years, adding to the strong sense of community among families, faculty and staff.  These include, among others, the Back to School Picnic, the Harvest Bonfire, annual bread baking and preparation of a delicious communal soup for Thanksgiving, an annual "giving tree," community service days, dancing around the Maypole in celebration of Founders' Day, International spring carnival, and a celebration of the Earth and our commitment to the environment.

Each school tradition underscores the strengths and the core values of our community, emphasizing kindness, trust and respect for one another and the world around us.