Join Our Waitlist
The Will Smith Zoo School enrollment process starts with joining the waitlist. Our spots fill up fast, so sign up at the link below.
Please note: To secure your child’s spot on the Will Smith Zoo School waitlist, please submit a $25 non-refundable Waitlist Application Fee after you submit your Will Smith Zoo School Waitlist form.
Our Philosophy
Education
Our focus is to excite and engage children to embark on a lifelong journey of exploration, learning and wonder.
Nature Connection
From deserts and rainforests, to butterflies and giraffes, to mud puddles and bird dances, Will Smith Zoo School empowers children to appreciate, protect and understand the world around them.
Kindergarten Readiness
With a focus on student growth in math, pre-literacy, art, social, practical, gross and fine motor skills, we go beyond kindergarten readiness to encourage a passion for lifelong learning.
Tour Will Smith Zoo School
Welcome to Will Smith Zoo School, where learning comes naturally. We appreciate your interest in our one-of-a-kind preschool that offers students the opportunity to learn and grow with nature. Visit our campus with your family/prospective student to better understand our program. Register for a tour at the link below.
About Will Smith Zoo School
Started in 2004, Will Smith Zoo School is a fully licensed preschool. It is one of the only preschools in San Antonio that uses nature as the integrating thread tying together the school’s philosophy, methodologies, classroom design and outdoor spaces.
More Information:
- Will Smith Zoo School is a nature-based preschool.
- Classes are conducted either from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm with the option of adding Extended Care. Extended Care options allow Will Smith Zoo School students to arrive between 8:00 am and 9:00 am. Extended Care options allow Will Smith Zoo School students to depart between 2:00 pm and 5:30 pm.
- Will Smith Zoo School students should be ages 3-5 and display confidence in toileting and dressing themselves.
- The teacher to student ratio is one teacher to every 8 students.
- There are three registration options:
- 5-day: Monday through Friday
- 3-day: Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- 2-day: Tuesday and Thursday
I love knowing when I pick my daughter up from school she will be sweaty, dirty, tired and brimming with excitement about all she learned and explored that day. Will Smith Zoo School brings out the best in her.
Kelli Thomas
LEED Platinum Certification
Will Smith Zoo School was recently awarded LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the first for a preschool in the country and second in the world. The only other preschool with this Certification is in Greece.
NAEYC Accreditation
In 2020, Will Smith Zoo School earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a prestigious recognition that is the hallmark of quality assurance for the early childhood preparation profession. Accreditation serves as a mechanism for ensuring a consistent and high level of program quality and alignment to NAEYC’s Professional Preparation Standards while respecting the unique mission and context of each degree program.
About San Antonio Zoo
The zoo is home to a wide variety of animals representing 750 species on 56 acres, of which 34 acres are public pathways. More than 1,000,000 guests visit the San Antonio Zoo annually – 13,155 of those being children participating in education programs and 80,000 school children coming on field trips.