About Us | Forge Prep

2025 Year Founded

Our Story

Built for 2040.
Not 1940.

Forge Prep was founded on a simple but urgent idea: the school model that has served the world for centuries no longer fits the one students are entering. With artificial intelligence reshaping every industry, the skills that matter most are no longer the ability to memorize and recall. They are the ability to build, to solve, to create, and to lead.

Located at 388 S. Livingston Avenue in Livingston, NJ, Forge Prep opened its doors to an inaugural class of 35 students in grades 5 through 9. In our very first year, we received far more applications than we could accept, with fewer than 10% of applicants gaining admission. That early confidence from families across New Jersey confirmed that parents were ready for something genuinely different.

Forge Prep is accredited by Middle States and is a private school serving students currently in grades 5 through 9, with plans to grow to a full 5 through 12 program. Our work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and we are proud to be a school where students do not just learn about the world. They practice changing it.

What We Stand For

Our Core Values

Every classroom decision, every challenge we design, and every interaction with a student flows from these four commitments.

🔍

Curiosity Over Compliance

We cultivate students who ask questions and chase answers. A student who is genuinely curious will outlearn one who is simply obedient every time.

🔨

Building Over Busywork

Students at Forge do not fill worksheets. They build things, solve real problems on behalf of real people, and defend their work in front of expert audiences.

🎯

Mastery Over Memorization

We measure learning on a spectrum from awareness to teaching. Students progress when they can apply what they know, not simply recall it for a test.

💪

High Agency, Resilient Graduates

Our long-term goal is to send students into the world who are confident, capable, and resilient enough to lead, whether in a career, a company, or their community.

How We Teach

A Day Built Like
Practice, Scrimmage, Game

Forge Prep uses problem-based learning grounded in the science of direct instruction. Every school day from 9 AM to 4 PM is structured to mirror how real performance is developed: you practice fundamentals, you apply them under coaching, and then you perform in front of people who matter.

Morning

Practice: Direct Instruction

Mornings are focused 45-minute periods of direct instruction across core academic subjects. Algebra, writing, science, and history are not optional. Every student works a clear progression and demonstrates competency before moving on.

Afternoon

Scrimmage: Challenge Work

After lunch, students take what they learned in the morning and apply it directly to the challenge they are working on. Guides coach from the sidelines, asking questions, pushing thinking, and helping students connect theory to action.

Every 6 to 8 Weeks

Game Day: Defense and Presentation

Students present their work to outside adults with real expertise in the field, receiving honest feedback from people who are not paid to be encouraging. This creates stakes, depth, and lasting retention that no test can replicate.

Always

Guides: Long-Term Mentorship

Each student is paired with a Guide who stays with them across multiple years. Guides develop individualized plans, track mastery, and help students go further faster in the areas that genuinely fascinate them.

Our People

The Team Behind Every Student's Growth

Forge Prep is built by people who believe the current model is broken and are doing something about it. Small teams, real relationships, and deep commitment to every student.

School Leadership

Head of School

Anand Sanwal, Founder and Head of School, leads Forge Prep with a vision for what education must become. He is joined by Jaime, Head of Community, who ensures every family feels connected, informed, and supported from the first tour onward.

Guides and Educators

Instruction and Mentorship

Our Guides are more than teachers. They stay with students across multiple years, building relationships deep enough to spot real growth and provide truly personalized direction. With a 6:1 student ratio, no student is invisible here.

Challenge Designers

Curriculum and Real-World Challenges

The challenges students tackle at Forge are built around real problems, real audiences, and real feedback. Our team sources and designs these experiences so that every student has the opportunity to build a body of work before they graduate.

Take the Next Step

Ready to See Forge Prep for Yourself?

Schedule a guided tour with Anand or Jaime and see our model in action. Tours are 60 minutes and open to families with students in grades 5 through 9.

About Forge Prep

Built for 2040.Not 1940.