A new dining hall and expanded library and fine arts spaces are new features of the redesigned campus. Program Academics are the School's highest priority. At SPA, students learn how to think for themselves. They develop communication, problem solving and analytical skills as evidenced by student performance in academic competitions, standardized tests and in college. Class sizes of 16 students support interactive discussions.
Students continually learn to express their ideas and defend their positions.
The School emphasizes freedom and independence, while teachers expect high levels of concentration, engaging classroom discussions and creativity in homework assignments. As students move from grade to grade, the program offers increasing freedom. Consequently, SPA demands increasing responsibility on the part of its students. In each grade level, the Upper School enrolls approximately 95 students who engage in a challenging college-preparatory curriculum with a broad liberal arts emphasis. Students also must satisfy a minimum requirement in the fine arts and athletics.