STEM
Our STEM department brings students to the forefront of scientific thinking.
Teaching & Learning
Going beyond college prep.
A rigorous liberal arts curriculum, an innovative block schedule, and teachers who inspire students to explore their academic interests and passions.
The program
Rigor, with room to go deeper.
All of our courses are college preparatory, and our graduation requirements meet or exceed those needed to get into the very best colleges and universities in the country. Students complete a rigorous liberal arts curriculum of required and elective courses in humanities, STEM, world languages, and the arts.
Our Advanced Studies (AS) courses, offered in all disciplines, meet and exceed the standards of rigor, depth, and challenge that many parents associate with the Advanced Placement program. One-mod electives, Intersession, physical education, and Health & Wellness education let students broaden and deepen their experience.
12:1
Student to teacher ratio
16
Average class size
85%
of faculty hold advanced degrees
85
Courses to choose from, and counting
Departments
Teachers make the difference.
Our teachers create meaningful learning that takes concepts out of the book and into the world. They are mentors, guides, and role models who encourage challenge and rigor.
Humanities
Students learn to think critically and creatively, to collaborate, to lead, to disagree, and to build consensus, using an interdisciplinary approach.
World Languages
The best way to understand another culture is from the inside out. Students develop a profound understanding of self and other.
Visual & Performing Arts
Students bring their thoughts and feelings to life through music, performance, and visual and physical expression.
Signature programs
Learning that leaves the classroom.
Some of the most meaningful learning occurs when students leave the classroom, tackling real-world problems in a hands-on way.
Intersession
An 8-day period between semesters for deep, hands-on learning. Recent courses produced short documentaries, composed and recorded original music, studied coastal ecology with service work in Northern California parklands, and paired CrossFit mornings with afternoons of cooking.
The Passport Program
Thanks to an anonymous donor, every student receives one free international Intersession. Four to six immersive trips run each year, and past destinations include Bali, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Greece, Japan, Patagonia and Spain.
Academic Concentrations
Optional, interdisciplinary concentrations in Environmental Stewardship and Climate Justice, Global Citizenship, or STEM, each ending in a capstone project that is noted on the transcript.
Health & Wellness
A spiral curriculum covering mental health, stress, sleep, nutrition, identity, digital citizenship and more, plus trained senior mentors for every 9th grader.
College counseling that finds a good match.
100%
of students are college-bound
50
hours of in-class college counseling, plus up to 20 hours one-on-one
80-90
college admissions representatives visit campus each year
92%
of the Class of 2023 were accepted to one of their top five choices
College counseling
A unique list for every student.
Our college counseling curriculum includes course planning, standardized testing preparation, college research, application tools, and personal statement preparation. Students meet individually and in groups with their counselor, more often as applications approach, and build a list of schools that match their interests, passions, and strengths.
Recent graduates have enrolled at more than 110 colleges and universities, including:
Stanford
Yale
Harvard
Princeton
Columbia
Duke
Cornell
Johns Hopkins
Carnegie Mellon
UC Berkeley
UCLA
USC
NYU
Pomona
Tufts
Wellesley
RISD
Cal Poly SLO
Trinity College Dublin
University of St Andrews
Learning support
Every student learns differently.
We work with every student to determine strategies for their success and wellbeing. Our goal is for students to advocate for themselves, understand their learning strengths and challenges, and be prepared for college.
Students may self-refer or be referred by a teacher or parent to Julia Dumars, Director of Learning Support Services, who screens and recommends next steps, from peer tutoring and extra help to learning strategies or a referral for evaluation. Typical accommodations include extended time on quizzes and tests, preferential seating, and use of technology in class.
Visit
Sit in on a class.
On a Visit Day, students attend classes with a Sonoma Academy student host, have lunch, and join us for Community Meeting.