Why Mack Matters

It feels really good here. I wake up in the morning and I’m actually really excited to go to school.

Fifth Grade Student

MACK MATTERS TO STUDENTS

Mackintosh Academy Boulder is a vibrant community of pioneers, explorers, and creative thinkers—tomorrow’s leaders and innovators. Whether you’re building concepts in our Design Lab or thriving in a supportive classroom environment, Mack Boulder inspires students to love learning and make their mark on the world.

We finally found a place where our child thrives. She was so bored in school. We ultimately realized it wasn’t about our child, it was that schools are broken.

Parent of 7th Grader

MACK MATTERS TO FAMILIES

Mackintosh Academy Boulder families are engineers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators—a community of forward-thinking learners and leaders. They seek an education that prepares their children for an ever-evolving future, nurturing each child’s unique spark with passion, engagement, and joy. At Mack, we cultivate this spark, equipping students with the skills to succeed and the courage to make meaningful contributions.

MACK MATTERS TO TEACHERS

At Mackintosh Academy Boulder, our teachers embrace limitless possibilities. While the IB program provides a solid framework, it’s the strong connections between students and teachers that drive deep, engaged learning. Our educators recognize and nurture each child’s individuality, challenging them at their personal learning edge to foster curiosity, creativity, and dedication. In an environment where students feel safe, respected, and challenged, they are more likely to take risks, embrace hard work, and develop resilience. This approach cultivates empathy, compassion, and determination, preparing students to become future scholars, leaders, and architects of a better world.

Our Mackintosh students challenge and inspire me to be a better teacher and a better person. I am honored to work with a group of children who bring such depth and meaning to every discussion and every interaction. They are destined to be people who will make a difference in this world, and I am grateful that I am a part of their path. I am one lucky teacher!

Mack Teacher

The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed — it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.

Sir Ken Robinson

What Mackintosh is creating doesn’t exist anywhere else. I want my child to live their life making something amazing, not standing on the sidelines.

Mack Parent

MACK MATTERS TO EDUCATION

Mackintosh Academy Boulder is redefining progressive gifted education as the new north star. As an incubator of potential and growth, we blend child-driven discovery with rigorous global inquiry, and a caring community with human-centered design. This combination fosters joy in solving complex problems, collaboration in finding solutions, and action on both local and global stages. After 47 years as Colorado’s first school for the gifted, Mackintosh Academy continues to pioneer, shaping future leaders and the evolution of education itself.

I believe Mack is positioned to have significant impact beyond its campus. It feels like we can be a part of something bigger, perhaps getting a glimpse what the future of education might be like for many more kids in Boulder and around the world.

George Kembel, Mack Parent, Co-Founder of Stanford’s d-school, Co-Founder of D.GLOBAL

I don’t want my kids to be the last ones through the old education system…I want them to be the first ones through a new one.

Mack Parent

MACK MATTERS TO THE FUTURE

At Mackintosh Academy Boulder, we are shaping the future with a community of innovators, from entrepreneurs to designers. With a high density of gifted students and resources, we are driving next-gen education. Our goal is to nurture global citizens who are self-aware, conscious, and inventive. Join us and help expand our impact.