About Us
Profile
St. Paul's Academy, located in Bellingham, Washington, is a closely knit fast-growing independent coeducational day school. We serve 230 students from Kindergarten through Grade 10, and 145 preschoolers, of all backgrounds and beliefs. Our Preschool was established in 1973, and we began adding elementry school classes in the mid-1990s.
The Academy is breaking ground on a $13 million building for Grades 6 – 12, and will be welcoming our first Grade 11 and 12 classes in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
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 8 to 1 ratio of students to state-certified teachers.
Our 24 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
(K – Grade 5) - Mike Schackel, Directory of Upper School
(Grades 6 – 12) - Cynthia D'Angelo, Teacher and Director of Preschool
- Stowe Talbot, President of the Board
Facilities
7 classrooms; gymnasium; lunchroom; playground |
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14 classrooms; music room; library; gymnasium space; lunchroom; chapel; playground |
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4 portable classrooms (projected to be replaced by the new $13 million Upper School in 2009 by 30 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 — Lower School (grades K – 5)
- French — Upper School (grades 6 - 12)
- Spanish instruction is in the process of being added to the Upper School curriculum.
Arts & Extracurricular
- Fine art classes
- Strings program
- Band
- Journalism
- Chess Team
- Travel (e.g., Olympic Peninsula, Quebec, England)
Team Sports (Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association)
- Cross-Country
- Volleyball
- Basketball
- Track
Accreditation
- Washington State (Certification for Private Schools)
- National Association of Accredited Schools (pending)
- Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (pending)
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 (Episcopal), 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 $5300, 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. St. Paul's Academy relies on the financial support of community members to cover its operating costs.
