MMI Preparatory School (simply referred to as MMI) is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational 6-12 college preparatory day school in Freeland, Pennsylvania, United States. MMI is short for Mining and Mechanical Institute and was founded in 1879 as the Industrial School for Miners and Mechanics by Eckley Brinton Coxe to provide technical training for area miners. The program was modeled after the "Steigerschulen" of Germany. Mr. Coxe examined The "Steigerschulen", which were secondary technical institutes, while studying mining engineering in that country. The first class consisted of 11 students. The present day name of MMI Preparatory School came to be in the 1970s as young women were accepted into the school and to more accurately reflect the school's function of preparing students