About Us
Profile
St. Paul's Academy, located in Bellingham, Washington, is a closely knit fast-growing independent coeducational day school. We serve 250 students from Kindergarten through Grade 12, and 125 preschoolers, of all backgrounds and beliefs. Our Preschool was established in 1973, and we began adding elementary school classes in the mid-1990s.
We encourage all members of our school community to enjoy lives of significance. With an average 12.8 students per class, our teachers provide individual attention that helps students develop strengths and virtues that go beyond scholarship.
Faculty
We enjoy an 11 to 1 ratio of students to state-certified teachers.
Our 30 faculty members average more than 7 years of classroom teaching experience, a figure which is rapidly rising as we attract experienced top teachers. All have Bachelor's degrees and are state-certified. Sixty-five percent have post-graduate education (including teachers currently studying for advanced degrees), and 42 percent have already earned advanced degrees.
School Leadership
- Stephanie Sadler, Head of School and Director of Lower School
- Robin Frank, Associate Head of School
- Cynthia D'Angelo, Teacher and Director of Preschool
- Bruce Litherland, President of the Board
Facilities
7 classrooms; gymnasium; lunchroom; playground |
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15 classrooms; music room; library; gymnasium space; lunchroom; chapel; playground |
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New $11 million Upper School with 20 classrooms; science laboratories; chapel; library; drama classroom; lunch room; music room; locker rooms; and regulation-size gymnasium (convertible to a performance space) |
Foreign Language Instruction
- Spanish — grades K – 12
Arts & Extracurricular
- Fine art classes
- Strings program
- Robitics
- Journalism
- Chess Team
- Travel - grade dependent (e.g., Olympia, Camp Lutherwood, Canoe Island, San Juan Islands, England, France)
Team Sports (Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association)
- Basketball
- Cross-Country
- Golf
- Track
- Volleyball
Accreditation
- Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC)
- Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools Subscriber School (PNAIS)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- Washington State (Certification for Private Schools)
Religion
St. Paul's Academy is an independent, open, and tolerant community. We warmly welcome students and teachers of all backgrounds and beliefs. Students assemble for chapel services, and have other opportunities to explore and discuss religious and spiritual matters. All are free to express their doubts and faiths. Our aim is to open minds, not mold them.
Tuition
Our annual tuition is $6200 (Lower School) and $6500 (Upper School), a figure comparable to other private schools in and around Bellingham.
Bellingham private schools charge less than half the average tuition of schools in the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS). St. Paul's Academy relies on the financial support of community members to cover its operating costs.
