The John Cooper School was founded through the generosity of corporate and private benefactors, dedicated parents, and other supporters in the local community and the Houston metropolitan area. It was named in honor of Mr. John Cooper, the long-tenured Headmaster of Houston’s Kinkaid School, whose expertise and counsel guided the school through its original formation and early years of operation.

Cooper officially opened on September 6, 1988 on a 43-acre campus designated for this purpose by Mr. George Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell is the founder and original developer of The Woodlands, a planned community of approximately 70,000 residents located 40 miles north of Houston. The school began operations with an enrollment of 175 students in pre-kindergarten through grade seven, and one additional grade level was added each successive year. The first senior class graduated in 1994. The opening enrollment of 950 students for 2007-2008 represents school’s largest ever student body