Academic Approach

Rooted in Research, Designed for Real Life

We design our curriculum around the latest in educational neuroscience, child development, and learning research. This foundation enables us to craft intentional learning experiences that challenge students intellectually while nurturing their natural curiosity.

Our educators utilize research-backed frameworks, such as Understanding by Design (UbD), to inform curriculum development. UbD is a backward-design model that starts with the end in mind—identifying the essential understandings and skills students should gain, then planning instruction and assessments to support those outcomes. This ensures that learning is always purposeful, coherent, and aligned with long-term goals, rather than focused solely on short-term content coverage.

Teachers also integrate evidence-based practices from Responsive Classroom, Developmental Designs, the Science of Reading, and other proven models to create learning environments that are both academically challenging and emotionally supportive. They continually engage with emerging research to ensure that our practices remain evidence-based and responsive to the evolving needs of learners.

Project-Based: Learning by Doing

Students at St. Anne’s School don’t just memorize facts—they investigate, create, experiment, and collaborate. Through project-based learning, students explore real-world topics in depth, often integrating multiple disciplines such as science, math, humanities, and the arts.

Whether it’s planting and tending to the School’s garden in Preschool, designing and building model towns in Lower School, or leading social impact projects in Upper School, students are given opportunities to apply their knowledge in meaningful and authentic ways.

Progressive and Personalized

As a progressive independent school, we believe education should be student-centered and forward-thinking. Our approach fosters independence, resilience, and intrinsic motivation. Students are encouraged to ask big questions, take intellectual risks, and pursue their interests with guidance and support.

At the start of each school year, students take time to reflect on what excites them about learning and to write down their personal hopes and dreams for the year ahead. This practice invites them to set intentions, articulate goals, and envision the kind of learner and community member they aspire to be. By grounding the year in their own aspirations, students begin their journey with a sense of ownership and purpose, making their learning more meaningful and connected to who they are.

To further personalize learning, we employ an innovative assessment tool called MindPrint for Grades 3-8, which helps us understand each student’s unique learning profile—including their strengths, needs, and how they process information. Grounded in cognitive science, MindPrint allows our educators to tailor instruction and support based on how each child learns best—ensuring that academic challenges are both meaningful and developmentally appropriate.

Our intentionally small class sizes and dynamic classroom environments allow for differentiated instruction and flexible learning pathways, empowering students to engage deeply with their work and progress at a pace that suits them.

By combining cutting-edge tools with time-tested progressive practices, we cultivate learners who are not only academically capable but also curious, self-aware, and ready to take ownership of their learning.

Academically Rigorous with Heart

St. Anne’s School students are deep thinkers and compassionate leaders. Our academic program is rigorous and developmentally appropriate, designed to stretch students’ abilities while also attending to their well-being.

We don’t see academic rigor and emotional development as separate goals—they are interconnected. Our curriculum embeds opportunities to build executive functioning, collaborative problem-solving, and reflective thinking—essential skills for success in high school, college, and beyond.

Socially and Emotionally Growth-Minded

We recognize that emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and empathy are just as important as academic achievement. Our integrated social and emotional learning (SEL) framework teaches students how to navigate challenges, build healthy relationships, and develop a strong sense of identity and purpose.

Teachers serve as mentors and facilitators, fostering a culture of belonging, respect, and mutual care. Our intentional focus on emotional wellness ensures students are not only capable learners but also confident and compassionate individuals.

Our educators employ research-backed principles from the Responsive Classroom and Developmental Designs approaches, widely respected, evidence-based teaching frameworks that promote safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms. These teaching frameworks emphasize the strong link between academic success and social-emotional well-being, focusing on building a positive community, effective management, and developmentally appropriate teaching.

Key practices include:

• Morning Meeting routines that build belonging and set a positive tone for learning
• Interactive Modeling that teaches expected behaviors and academic skills
• Logical Consequences that promote accountability and personal growth
• Student Voice and Choice, encouraging autonomy and ownership of learning
• Ways We Want to Be – At the start of each school year, every class collaborates to create its own agreements about how they want to treat one another, upholding and honoring the School’s core values.

This approach allows our teachers to meet students’ emotional and developmental needs while creating classroom environments that are respectful, inclusive, and focused on learning.

By weaving social-emotional learning into every aspect of the day, we ensure that our students are not only capable learners but also confident, compassionate, and community-minded individuals.

Purpose-Driven

At St. Anne’s School, education goes beyond academics—we aim to instill a deep sense of responsibility to others and the world. Through our civic-minded curriculum, students are empowered to become active citizens, ethical leaders, and compassionate changemakers.

From a young age, students learn what it means to participate in and contribute to their communities. Across all grade levels, they take on leadership roles, engage in service-learning projects, and explore issues of social justice, equity, and environmental stewardship. These experiences are designed to nurture both critical consciousness and actionable empathy.

Examples of our civic engagement in action include:

• Organizing food and clothing drives
• Partnering with local nonprofits and service organizations
• Student-led initiatives on sustainability and advocacy
• Community forums and student-led discussions on current events
• Upper School leadership councils and peer mentoring Buddy program

By integrating civic responsibility into daily learning, we help students understand their agency in shaping a better world—and give them the tools, confidence, and ethical framework to do so.

Learning Beyond the Classroom: Field Experiences That Inspire

At St. Anne’s School, we believe that some of the most powerful learning happens outside the four walls of the classroom. Through thoughtfully designed field experiences, students expand their understanding of the world, apply classroom knowledge in real-life contexts, and cultivate a deeper sense of connection to their communities and environment.

Field experiences are not isolated events—they are purposeful extensions of academic and social-emotional learning. Whether students are exploring local ecosystems, visiting museums and historical sites, or engaging with civic leaders, every experience is designed to spark curiosity, deepen content understanding, and inspire real-world thinking.

Highlights of our field learning include:

• Outdoor education trips that build resilience, collaboration, and environmental awareness
• Visits to local government institutions, cultural landmarks, and performance venues
• Service-learning excursions that connect civic engagement to lived experience
• Partnerships with local scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and organizations
• Capstone travel experiences that integrate academic study with leadership and independence

These experiences help students see the relevance of their learning, appreciate diverse perspectives, and return to the classroom with renewed insight, confidence, and inspiration.

Preparing for What Comes Next

We don’t just prepare students for the next grade—we prepare them to thrive in a complex, changing world. We prepare them to be changemakers.

They leave us as:

By the time our students graduate from St. Anne’s School, they are well-prepared for the rigors of high school and the demands of the future.