Nature School of McKinney to open second location this fall

A second Nature School location will give McKinney parents another private-school choice this fall, with a model built around outdoor learning, small classes and a curriculum tied to Texas standards.

The Nature School of McKinney will welcome its first students in fall 2026, owner Fiona Marron said. The school will serve children ages 3 to 11 in mixed-age, small-group classrooms, and its website describes the campus as a private outdoor school for ages 3 to 12 opening in August in North McKinney.

The school is an expansion of Nature School of Fairview, which Marron opened in August 2020 in a residential home that was converted into a school. Along with core subjects, the program includes Spanish, gardening, yoga, art and music, giving families a hands-on alternative to a more traditional early education setting.

The school says its curriculum aligns with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS, the state standards adopted by the State Board of Education that spell out what Texas students should know and be able to do. That alignment matters for parents weighing whether a nature-based private school can still offer academic structure while departing from the conventional classroom model.

The opening comes as McKinney and the rest of Collin County continue to add residents. The City of McKinney estimated its population at 237,130 as of Jan. 1, 2026, up from 224,043 in 2025. Collin County’s population estimate reached 1,297,179 as of July 1, 2025, underscoring the pressure that rapid growth is putting on school options across the county.

McKinney ISD reported 23,118 students for the 2024-25 school year, and district materials say enrollment fell by 1,325 students between 2019-20 and 2024-25 even as the area kept growing. The district’s Educational Facilities Alignment Committee is studying projected enrollment, campus capacity, transportation and planned development when recommending attendance zones, a reminder that families are making decisions in a fast-changing education market.

For parents in North McKinney, the new campus is less about an extra school opening than about a wider set of choices: a smaller, mixed-age environment, more time outside and a philosophy that tries to blend structure with exploration. Whether that model becomes a practical fit for more households or remains a niche option for families who can afford private-school tuition will shape how many children end up learning there.