Learn how our Peak Playground inspires creativity and wonder!
Our Campus
The Lamplighter School is situated on a 12-acre campus in North Dallas, surrounded by residential neighborhoods and green space. The distinctive and innovative design reflects the School’s focus on Early Childhood and Lower School education, with facilities and outdoor areas thoughtfully created for our youngest learners.
Lamplighter’s inviting, experiential campus blends structured academic spaces with outdoor learning and play areas, creating hands-on environments that encourage curiosity, creativity, and connection with nature. Learn more below about what makes our campus and facilities unique. Or, visit us to experience Lamplighter firsthand.
Architecture
The original campus was designed in the late 1960s by noted architect O’Neil Ford, whose thoughtful, open layout encourages both learning and community. A Fine Arts wing and Media Center were later added in the late 1980s and 1990s, respectively, with designs by architect Frank Welch.
The most recent additions, including an innovation lab, theater lab, and administration building, were completed in 2015 and 2022 and designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, recipient of the 2020 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. All three architects shared a vision that the campus buildings flow together to create an environment thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of young children.
Classroom Design
All classrooms are thoughtfully designed with our youngest learners in mind, featuring low ceilings and scaled-down spaces that create a welcoming, child-centered environment. Natural light and expansive windows help bring the outdoors inside, strengthening students’ connection to nature throughout the school day.
Each classroom also includes a well, a gathering space designed to foster conversation and collaboration, where students and teachers sit at eye level and can easily see and engage with one another.
Shared Spaces
Each grade level includes four classrooms that open onto a shared common space, extending learning beyond the classroom walls. These areas provide flexible space for small-group projects, partner reading, or other activities that benefit from additional room or a quieter setting.
Depending on the grade level, shared spaces may also include features such as grade-level libraries, play kitchens, blocks, building materials, and other hands-on learning resources.
Media Center
The Erik Jonsson Media Center serves as Lamplighter’s library, housing a collection of more than 20,000 items. New titles are added each year through our Media Center Open House, where families have the opportunity to honor Lamplighter teachers and staff by donating books to the collection.
The Media Center also features three fireplaces with adjacent wells that provide cozy gathering spaces for reading, collaboration, and classroom discussions.
Innovation Lab
The Eastin Family Innovation Lab serves as a hub for STEM and creative learning. Opened in 2017, the building includes two science classrooms, a teaching kitchen, a makerspace, a woodworking studio, and an environmental science classroom. Light-filled, open interior spaces foster collaboration and exploration, while the building itself is surrounded by native wildflower plantings.
Barn & Chicken Coop
Lamplighter’s iconic red barn and adjacent chicken coop serve as the hub of the Lamplighter Layers program, a chicken-raising and egg-selling business established in 1970 and operated by fourth-grade students. The LPA Barn includes an egg-washing station, refrigeration area, and meeting space, while the Junkins Family Chicken Coop is home to approximately 35 chickens each year.
Theater Lab
Opened in 2023, the Connelly Family Theater Arts Lab serves as both a classroom and performance space for Drama classes. The lab features a stage, an electronic backdrop for set design, and retractable seating for up to 40 audience members. The space creates an intimate setting where audiences can fully engage with student performances.
Outdoor Learning at Lamplighter
Lamplighter’s environmental science program is enriched by campus grounds and facilities that enhance hands-on learning opportunities for all students. The campus includes a greenhouse, birdwatching station, nature trail, and several raised garden beds that support outdoor exploration and discovery.
Many environmental science classes take place outdoors, using these spaces to bring real-world experiences to classroom learning. Through these experiences, students develop an understanding of gardening, composting, hydroponics, and environmental stewardship.
Peak Playground
Discover Lamplighter's iconic playground!
