From the moment you step onto the St. Paul Academy and Summit School campuses, you feel it: something’s special here. At SPA, students learn to make good choices and listen to each other with compassion and empathy. Our students are responsible to their teachers, their classmates, and themselves for their own intellectual growth. There is no “back of the classroom” at SPA. Our discussion-based curriculum is the foundation of an intellectual community where everyone—students and faculty—is responsible for contributing. And families are part of the conversation every step of the way.

Our Lower School classrooms are characterized by movement, flexible groups, and active, project-based learning. In addition to two highly-skilled homeroom teachers in every classroom, students work closely with specialists in math, PE, technology, Spanish, music, science and art. This specialized instruction means that every student is met with a deep and sensitive understanding of his or her individual needs. For SPA parents, our teachers function as partners on the educational journey. Each child is known, cared for, and safe, in our classrooms and in the Lower School After School Activity program we offer for parents who need high-quality after-school care.

Middle School is a balancing act between childhood and adolescence. At SPA, we equip our Middle School students with the tools to achieve that balance so they can flourish in school and in life. Our Middle School is built around Developmental Design, a research-based approach to middle school instruction and support that is designed to keep young adolescents engaged in their learning while safe, connected, and responsible. This comprehensive approach focuses on the whole student, with dual goals of intellectual maturity and social growth. The result is a Middle School experience that is productive, safe, and truly enjoyable.

Passive learning isn’t an option in our Upper School, where classrooms are marked by lively debates and a deep understanding of each discipline. Students take a front-row seat in their courses: in most classrooms, students and teachers sit around the Harkness table, a specially-designed seminar table that is the embodiment of discussion-based learning. The intellectual give-and-take of the circle is evident even in classes without Harkness tables. This accountable approach to learning produces students who approach their schoolwork with unassuming self-confidence. Our Upper Schoolers think critically, take ownership of their ideas, and offer critiques with grace and maturity.

We cultivate passionate, responsible thinkers who perform brilliantly in a competitive, challenging world—including college. To ensure a smooth transition, SPA’s Office of College Counseling is closely aligned with academic planning and is staffed by three full-time, nationally-recognized college counselors. In a thorough process that begins in the spring of the sophomore year, students and their parents work with the counselors to prepare for the college application process and identify colleges that fit students’ interests and goals. Thus, college selection loses much of its anxiety and mystery, becoming instead the natural, final step in a thoughtful and successful process.

When conversations from the lab to the hallway to the practice field buzz with enthusiasm, life at school is different. When a strong work ethic is considered “cool,” studying feels different. When students feel both valued and accountable, their performance is different. At SPA, we’re not just educators: we’re innovators who are constantly evolving and improving, and our goal every day is unlocking students’ potential. We invite you to see for yourself how we achieve this. Visit our classrooms. Ask questions of our faculty members and our students. Learn how we make it amazing.