Adams Point

I moved my kids from public school to St. Paul's (4th and 7th grade) and it exceeded all of my expectations. The academics are rigorous but beyond that they are really helping the kids develop real world skills like executive functioning (staying on top of deadlines, planning for long term projects, scheduling your week), public speaking, working in groups, emotional intelligence and critical thinking. The curriculum is really engaging and interactive, my kids talk about what they are learning in school a lot more than they used to and teachers get really creative in their lessons to keep things interesting. Teachers are genuinely guiding the learning and not just following a textbook. They seem energized and excited to be at the school which is a breath of fresh air as the teaching profession has really been a tough place to be in the last decade! I sometimes worry about how AI is eroding critical thinking and replacing a lot of jobs in our society and I feel like the kids who go to St. Paul's will have a highly desired skillset that isn't easily replaced by LLM and will be confident in navigating the future no matter what it looks like. The school culture really stands out to me as well. Almost every school I toured will talk about antibullying efforts but at St. Paul's there is really an ethos of kindness and inclusivity that is in everything that they do at the school. It comes from a place of authenticity, is felt by every staff person (and even all the parents!) that I've encountered and to me it's more powerful than a disciplinary protocol. The school really builds a community within the classroom and across the whole school! For my middle schooler I was concerned that it might be too small coming from a big public school environment but I've noticed that it has actually allowed my kid to be themselves instead of trying to fit into a certain clique. My kid looks forward to going to school now and it has been so so cool to see him pursue academic excellence with pleasure and pride instead of just complying with weekly homework.I was on the fence about leaving public school, especially because I didn't want my kids to be sequestered in an environment where all their peers were privileged but the opposite has been true! I have been delighted with the socioeconomic and demographic diversity at St. Paul's. I also was hesitant because of the financial commitment but I have zero regrets. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made for my kids.