Introduction

Founded in 1842 and named by the United States Department of Education as one of the nation's exemplary schools, St. Johnsbury Academy combines the resources, facilities, and curriculum of the world's leading schools with the personal support and attention of the best boarding schools. Our diverse student body of over 1,000 brings together day (over 750) and boarding (247) students from 50 regional towns, 25 foreign countries and many American states.

We expect our students to be good citizens, to study hard and become independent learners who give back to their community. With an emphasis on small classes and student-centered instruction, the Academy remains committed to providing every reasonable opportunity for each student to succeed, proactively and empathetically encouraging each one to be resilient, and providing the needed support and resources to do so.

Academics

St. Johnsbury Academy offers a breadth of curriculum nearly unmatched among secondary schools. The Academy offers 220 courses at four levels of difficulty. The curriculum includes, but is not limited to, 21 Advanced Placement courses; 40 fine and performing arts classes; five foreign languages; four college level engineering courses, four levels of English as a Second Language; and 40 technical offerings in 11 comprehensive fields.

A new class schedule promotes student-centered learning and remediation. An innovative learning support program is available to students with a specific defined learning disability. Class size at the Academy averages 12, with a student/faculty ratio of 8:1. Each of our 115 faculty members heads an advisory group of approximately ten students. 81% of our faculty hold master degrees or above.

The Colwell Center for Global Understanding at the Academy supports programs and activities that foster global education. Founded in 2003, the Colwell Center organizes a Reader Series whose vision is to encourage reading, cultural literacy, and tolerance by reading fiction and non-fiction from different regions around the world. The Colwell Speaker Series invites professionals from the global community to speak to students to expose them to issues that reach beyond our campus. We partner with the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University on several programs to expose our students to professionals and scholars in the field of foreign affairs.

Five full-time college counselors provide excellent college placement. Every year, graduates of St. Johnsbury Academy enroll in the world's top colleges and universities.

ESL and Summer Program

The Academy's ESL program is designed to provide intensive training in spoken English, listening comprehension, reading, writing, and grammar. The program addresses the needs of students on an individual basis. Four levels of study are available as is individual tutoring, a sophisticated digital learning system, regular conversation conference periods, vacation home-stay arrangements, and official TOEFL testing. Our international students are also able to pursue math and science classes at an advanced level while being sheltered in English and Social Studies courses for non-native speakers until their English language skills are more fully developed.

A six-week summer program is offered for students seeking intensive training in English, and SAT and TOEFL prep. Summer ESL classes are conducted using the same teachers, philosophy, and methodology as our regular year classes and are also available at four levels of difficulty.

International students who have graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy consistently enroll at the most competitive universities including: American, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Notre Dame, Purdue, Chicago, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Extracurricular and Athletic Opportunities

St. Johnsbury Academy offers more than 60 clubs and 42 interscholastic athletic teams. Each of our dedicated faculty members doubles in the capacity of coach or activity advisor making the Academy the perfect place to pursue and foster a particular interest, passion or talent.

In addition to three skill-levels for most of our sports teams (rookie, junior varsity, and varsity), Academy students also have a flourishing intramural sports program in which to compete.

Participation in activities outside of the classroom helps every student to enjoy the complete Academy experience.

Student Life

Eight on-campus dormitories are home to 235 boarders from around the world. Forty Academy faculty members live among the students and serve in the capacity of "House Parent".

St. Johnsbury, Vermont was recently named the "#1 Small Town for Adventure" by National Geographic Magazine, a compliment to the natural beauty of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont that boasts many recreational opportunities (camping, hiking, biking, and canoeing). Vermont is one of the most beautiful and safest states in America.

Within easy walking distance of the Academy, the town of St. Johnsbury offers several restaurants, two movie theaters, three art galleries and a world-renowned museum of natural history. There are 12 ski resorts within an hour drive and Burke Mountain (15 minutes away) provides skiing for Academy students during winter months.

Once a week, trips are taken to such popular spots as Boston, Montreal, and Burlington.

Facilities

During the past 20 years the Academy has invested more than $20 million in new facilities. Now valued at $58 million, our 21 building campus includes: eight buildings for academic study: eight dormitories; a brand-new Mayo Center library and student center; the Charles Hosmer Morse Center for the Arts; a renovated science and technology center, and an full-service athletic Field House complete with indoor swimming pool, three indoor tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, an indoor track, cardio and a weight room. The Academy campus also has an 800-seat theater, the Stuart Black Box Theater (seats 175), a 1,250 seat gymnasium, outdoor ampitheater, eight athletic fields and four outdoor tennis courts.