Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science (PRISMS) is a coeducational boarding and day high school in Princeton, New Jersey, founded in 2013 on the idea of combining the strengths of Eastern and Western STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. It enrolls grades 9 through 12. The 2025-26 school profile reports 120 students, with international students making up 45 percent and boarders 48 percent, and a class of 2026 of 24 seniors; 36 percent of its 28 faculty members hold doctorates, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 4.3:1. The admissions page states that 55 percent of students are U.S. or Canadian citizens and that 15 countries are represented. The campus is about two miles from the center of Princeton. PRISMS is accredited by the Middle States Association and is a member of NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools). The Head of School is Pengzhi Liu, and the Co-Principals are Adam Kemp and Joseph Li.

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science starts its courses at the honors level and builds through Advanced Placement (AP) and post-AP levels; grades are unweighted and students are not ranked. The 2026-27 course catalog requires every student to complete calculus, to take each core science at least at the honors level, and to take at least one AP-level STEM elective; domestic students graduate with 26 credits and international students with 23. The school profile lists 15 AP courses, including AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science A and AP Mandarin, and post-AP courses include linear algebra, differential equations, multivariable calculus, organic chemistry and biochemistry, and artificial intelligence and computational modeling. In May 2025, 95 students took 287 AP exams in 27 subjects; 92 percent scored 3 or higher and 39 percent scored 5.

The core of the Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science program is a four-year research and development program. All ninth graders take part in the BASE program (Bridging the Arts, Science and Engineering), students take Applied Engineering 1 and 2 in grades 9 and 10, and from grade 11 students choose a topic in areas such as applied engineering, artificial intelligence, biology, neuroscience, and mathematics and statistics, carrying one original project over two years. Research equipment includes an atomic force microscope, a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a real-time PCR system and a mass spectrometer. Students who have exhausted every post-AP option in a subject may be eligible to take courses through Princeton University’s High School Program. College counseling is led by Marilee Jones, a former Dean of Admissions at MIT, and juniors take a full-year college seminar.

The matriculation list shows that the most attended colleges for the classes of 2023 through 2026 were MIT (12), UCLA (10) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (9), followed by Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, Purdue University, the University of Cambridge and UC Berkeley (4 each). Average SAT scores for 2024-25 were 757 in math and 707 verbal.

The Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science application begins with the online inquiry form. Parents then receive an email to create an account in the Admissions Portal, where a checklist explains how to schedule a campus visit and interview. An interview is required of every applicant, and the school suggests scheduling it between October and January. Ninth-grade applicants submit the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test), school code 5904; those who did not take the SSAT may submit ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) scores. International applicants whose native language is not English also submit the TOEFL or another English proficiency test, TOEFL code 7612. Families apply through either the SSAT Standard Application Online (SAO) or Gateway to Prep Schools.

Applications to Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science are due January 15, decisions are sent on March 10, and admitted students return the enrollment contract and deposit by April 10 to enroll in September. Applications submitted after the deadline are processed in April. The course catalog refers to students who transfer in for grade 10 or higher, whose prior credits are reviewed from their transcripts; the school does not publish openings by grade, the application fee or an acceptance rate.

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science publishes 2026-27 boarding tuition of $70,000, covering the academic program, a double room, three meals a day, weekend trips and clubs, and evening study hall. Day tuition is $51,000, including weekday lunch and no housing. Payment comes in three parts: a non-refundable deposit with the enrollment contract on April 10, 50 percent of the remaining balance on August 1, and the rest on December 15. Travel, insurance and personal spending are not included.

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science offers need-based financial aid, set by a family’s demonstrated need together with the Admission Committee’s assessment of the applicant, and the school asks families to contribute at the highest level their circumstances allow. Families apply through the Ravenna Financial Aid Application, school code NJ302000000. For entry in 2027-28, the application opens on November 1, 2026 and should be completed by February 1, and decisions arrive with the admission letter on March 10; no award is final until the current-year federal tax return is received. The school does not publish the share of students on aid or the average award.

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science’s January 15 deadline pushes the last usable SSAT sitting into December, so book a seat about two months ahead. Courses begin at the honors level, a new ninth grader’s math placement is set from the prior school’s transcript and, if needed, a placement test, and a ninth grader who wants honors physics must also pass a math placement, so math preparation in grade 8 directly shapes where a student starts. A family flying east should combine the interview with a fall campus visit. New Jersey is three hours ahead of California and about 2,400 miles from Irvine in a straight line, and Newark Liberty International is the nearest airport. Under the 2026-27 academic calendar the dorms close for winter and spring breaks, so plan at least two trips home a year or arrange for relatives or friends on the East Coast to host. EDUBUS is based in Irvine and works on school selection, SSAT preparation and high school planning around this school’s published dates.