Our academic program prepares students to become active and engaged scholars who are agents of their own learning. With the guidance of exceptional teachers, students develop and hone their academic skills. They find their voice and artistry through performing arts, music, and visual arts. They grow their capacity for critical thinking, committed reflection and inquiry, and problem-solving through our integrated approach to DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging). We want our students to always ask “why,” and we create an intersectional and interdisciplinary space that supports that critical inquiry.

Our curriculum provides windows and mirrors so students see themselves and their perspectives in lessons and materials. When students feel seen, heard, and safe to actively engage as learners, they open themselves to academic risk-taking and to the stories of others. Learning often occurs outside school walls through the Community Engaged Learning that undergirds our curriculum. From partnering with the Lake Merritt Institute for science to visiting the Women of the Black Panther Party Mural and Museum in West Oakland as part of the study of the Black Panther movement to swimming at the YMCA to collecting and distributing “go-bags of essentials” for unhoused community members – St. Paul’s students understand that academic learning necessarily extends beyond the classroom. They apply their learning to real-world problem solving by exploring, connecting, and contributing to their community. 

By teaching students to know themselves deeply and attending to different kinds of learning styles, academics at St. Paul’s scaffold students’ social-emotional health and wellbeing, so that they can blossom as individuals and learners. Social and emotional curriculum, like the People Power Skills, as well as a strong culture of kindness and inclusion support students to thrive among peers. St. Paul’s graduates bring skills, empathy, and a broad and connected mindset to their experience in high school and beyond.