Get to Know Us History

The school opened in August 1984 in a remodeled post office, with 40 children from three months old to second grade. The long-range plan included a country campus with outdoor learning to accommodate 100 students through 5 th grade in five years. However, enrollment more than doubled in just five months. With a five-year stop, in a large woodworking shop, at 69 th and Yorktown facilities, plans were accelerated to move "to the country.”

In 1991, the school which at the time went through 5 th grade relocated to the first wing on its current campus in west Tulsa. The following year, an additional wing with a library and music room was added to serve the growing demand for elementary grades. The Middle School opened in August 1994, bringing the total facility to more than 40,500 square feet serving more than 400 students.

In June 1997, an additional 10 acres of adjoining land was purchased for future expansion. The next year, Steve Jatras, a grandparent and former Board member, donated 26 adjoining acres to the school, bringing the total campus to 68 acres. In 1999, he gave an additional 22 acres bringing the total acreage to 90.

Riverfield began a new era in August 2002 with the addition of a high school freshman class and opening an Upper School. The school embarked on the “Spreading Our Wings” capital campaign in order to build facilities to accommodate the growing student body. The campaign was successful, thanks in large part to the generosity of Tulsa philanthropist Genave Rogers. On Visiting Day in November 2004, the Clark Gymnasium and Genave Rogers Upper School were dedicated with the help of Dr. Jane Goodall who joined us to dedicate the Science Lab in memory of Tim O’Halloran, nature lover and the first Upper School Head.

During the 2005-06 school year, Upper School enrollment more than doubled. A unique feature of the Upper School is the use of Tablet PCs in most classes. In 2006, rock band as well as interscholastic sports in flag football, cross-country, basketball, golf, and tennis were popular additions to the Middle and Upper School programs.

In August 2006, Genave Rogers made another very generous gift that made it possible to purchase an additional 30 acres to the northwest of the current property. This brought the campus to 120 total acres.

During the 2006-07 school year both the Strategic Plan and the Master Plan were updated. Focus areas of the Strategic Plan are culture; program; school community; faculty, administration, and staff; physical plant and facilities; and finance and development. The Master Plan includes additional classroom space, a performing arts venue, and various athletic facilities. The first priority identified during the Master Planning process was additional Middle and Upper School classroom space. The new Langerak Academic Center, which opened in the fall of 2008, addresses this need by providing 4 classrooms, an art studio, a science lab and a large commons.