Curriculum

The St. David’s School experience combines the right mix of challenging academics, competitive athletics, Christian faith formation, character and leadership development opportunities, and a second-to-none fine arts program, all of which come together, over the full pre-K through 12th grade journey, to awaken wonder in students, to give them every opportunity to explore new challenges and to expand their imagination for the next leg of their journeys, confident that they will be well-prepared wherever their journeys take them.

The academic program at St. David’s School fosters deep engagement with the profound truths and the staggering beauty of the whole created order through the study of language, mathematics, literature, history, the arts, science and innovation, knowing that just behind, beneath and beyond all genuine encounters with goodness and beauty, one will find Christ, who is the source of all beauty.  Wherever truth is discovered through our studies, explorations and learning, Christ, who is the ultimate Truth, has been our teacher.  “…For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)

Teaching and learning from a thoroughly Christian framework involves earnestly cultivating the life of the mind at an unhurried pace.  As students learn to read, think and write, first through the formative exercises of putting together letters to make words, words to form sentences and sentences to build ideas, the life of the mind is prepared over time to grapple with the fundamental questions of life from which all other questions emerge (e.g. Who are we? What do we desire?  Why are we here? How shall we live our lives?).  In due course, students enter into perennial human dialogues as they journey alongside their peers and teachers in the counsel of Scripture and the many great sages of western tradition.  

Along the way, students learn to think and discern by asking questions and by listening to the questions of others.  In this environment, students contribute to a rich discourse of perspectives and grow in the patience, forbearance and humility required for making and defending arguments, for learning how to agree and disagree, and even for knowing when and how to change one’s mind in the pursuit of truth. 

Deep learning involves developing not just the logical mind but also the heart, soul, body and imagination. Beginning with a robust line-up of enrichment courses integrated with students’ core studies in Lower School, wonder and delight are kindled and students’ appetite for learning grows as they taste the joy of exploration and discovery. Cultivating our students’ imagination through both the creation and enjoyment of art, music, literature, poetry and drama deepens their capacity for envisioning the Kingdom of God and for waking up to a world in which all things are being made new in Christ, even in the midst of trial and tragedy.  

We invite you to explore our Curriculum Guide. You will notice that our academic program is designed to cultivate students who embody the portrait of a St. David’s School graduate – one who embraces learning, pursues excellence, perseveres through challenges, leads with humility, collaborates generously and seeks Christ.