Welcome to our Goshen Campus! Our open classroom environment, coupled with our pastoral setting, creates a positive, joyful educational experience for children. Alexandra S. Thurstone G’80, ’84 Head of School
PRESCHOOL Our teachers build on the natural curiosity and interests of young children, incorporating areas such as literacy, science, mathematics, creative expression, and the arts. We use a developmental continuum framework and skill set list to guide us in preparing the learning environment, planning classroom experiences, and interacting with our students.
One-acre natural playground with a berm hill, mud kitchen, sandpit, grass maze, and garden
16
years
Average tenure of Preschool teachers is
We have teachers that truly care about us and our learning. 6th grade student
SOME SEE TEACHERS WE SEE MAGICIANS
Custom-built literacy program (LiFT! Literacy for Thought!) empowers all students to become independent, joyful readers and thinkers who realize their full potential
8:1 STUDENT: TEACHER RATIO
St. Francis offers Chinese and Spanish world languages, and the opportunity to take high schoollevel math classes in 7th and 8th grades
ACADEMICS We respect children as curious scientists and mathematicians, as creative writers and artists, and as changemakers for a more just and equitable world. We believe children thrive when taken seriously as learners and as human beings. Our teachers ensure continuous progress and skill development, engaging our students’ curiosity and challenging them to think critically.
ARTS The celebration of individuality that is so important at St. Francis includes honoring our students’ involvement throughout the fine and performing arts, be it on stage in our National Youth Arts Awardwinning drama program, in one of our three light-filled art studios, or in the music rooms with our choirs or jazz ensemble.
STUDENTS ACCEPTED INTO STATE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL HONOR CHOIRS IN ONE YEAR.
3 plays, 3 art studios, 2 choirs, 1 jazz ensemble, 2 talent shows, 1 a cappella group
MIDDLE SCHOOL OUTDOOR TRIPS
32 chickens 14 goats, 2 dogs
SPACE TO GROW
OUTDOORS Outdoors are a big part of the student experience at our Goshen Campus. 64 acres big, in fact. Whether hiking for a day, backpacking for a week, helping to gather honey from our beehives, harvesting vegetables from the garden, or feeding the chickens, our students are growing and learning. Here, the walls between indoor and outdoor classrooms are blurred.
ATHLETICS + PE Whether a student is playing on one of our many sports teams, enjoying twice-daily recesses, or participating in our three-times-per-week PE classes, St. Francis offers an outstanding experience in athletics for all students. Talented and experienced athletes have the opportunity to be challenged and shine, and because our teams are no-cut, students have the chance to try new sports and continue to develop their potential.
ST. FRANCIS IS: NON-DENOMINATIONAL - Our students practice many faiths. Our name comes from the School’s original roots in the Episcopal Church, but we are not affiliated with any religion. AFFORDABLE - We are committed to making a St. Francis education accessible to all who are admitted; over 50% of the student population receives aid to attend. Some grants are small, some are large, depending on the family’s need. This commitment to affordability makes us truly unique among other local, as well as national, Independent Schools. Our financial aid helps cultivate a student body that reflects the socio-economic, racial, and ethnic diversity of metro Louisville. Every student learns to appreciate and know peers from a variety of backgrounds, which is critical to achieving the School’s Mission.
PROGRESSIVE - We are part of a centuryold educational movement, not a political stance. Our philosophy is based on the Progressive education movement founded by John Dewey and Francis Parker in the early 1900s as a response to the assembly-line, “one-size-fits-all” public school model. There are many Progressive schools across the country, especially in major cities, but few in this area. Progressive schools believe that an education should be tailored to individual students in an intimate community and that learning should be active and engaged, using original sources and hands-on experimentation. Progressive schools value a diversity of thought and culture and uphold a commitment to equity and justice.
DIVERSE - We believe there is inherent strength in a community, a city, and a world in which members exhibit a breadth of talent, skills, and attributes. We define diversity as differences embodied in (but not limited to) age, ethnicity, race, family composition, gender, gender identity and expression, geographic origin, learning styles, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, and ideologies. We seek to prepare students to live in and contribute to their world by acknowledging and celebrating who they are and who they wish to become. In addition, given the profound inequalities of opportunity that still exist in our world, we strive to foster a respectful and welcoming school community for all, as a model for the challenges we all face each day as global citizens. 36% of our student body are students of color and/or foreign born. ACCOMMODATING - The Learning Center (TLC), a partnership with the Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers, provides support for students in a variety of areas: remediation in reading, writing, and math (Goshen); content tutoring in various subjects; homework help; and organizational skills development.
ACCESSIBLE - Because our students come from all over the Metro Louisville area, surrounding counties, and Indiana, we are experts at facilitating transportation to our two campuses. Many parents carpool, a process which our admissions team can help facilitate for new families. Our two happy buses ferry our JK - 8th grade students to Goshen and from after-school activities. Our High School students carpool or ride TARC buses, including the express routes, from all over Louisville - the Highlands, the West End, Prospect, and more. We have plentiful parking on both campuses for parents and High School drivers. MISSION-DRIVEN - St. Francis School cultivates a joyful, compassionate, intellectual community that celebrates individuality and inspires independent thinking for life.
Welcome to our High School’s Downtown Campus! We believe that the best preparation for higher education and adult life is a challenging academic program in a vibrant urban location. As the ‘School of Thought,’ we are a diverse community that emphasizes intellectual achievement in an atmosphere of individual acceptance. Alexandra S. Thurstone G’80, ’84 Head of School
St. Francis students dig deeper. 11th grade parent
HIGHER THINKING, DOWNTOWN
As of 2018, 71% of our students scored 3 or higher over the last five years of AP exams, and an average of 71% of all of our graduates have taken at least one test over the last five years
15 AP classes, 40% of High School faculty hold PhDs, 39 graduates of the Class of 2018 were accepted to over 140 colleges and universities and received $3 million in scholarships
ACADEMICS Faculty are attuned to the concept of the teenager as a work-inprogress, and believe that students are well served not only by warm personal support, but also by thoughtful provocation and challenge. A diverse student body develops creative and critical thinking skills while passionate, talented faculty emphasize and cultivate in-depth investigation, discussion, and writing; active participation in these activities builds students’ confidence.
3 art studios 5 artists-in-residence in studio, photography, & film 2 annual theater performances 1 jazz ensemble 1 a capella group 1 improv group
St. Francis not only offered me fantastic opportunities in acting, but also provided me with a unique education in playwriting and directing. For four years, I took the Playwriting course taught by the Director of Education at Actors Theatre and then had my plays produced and directed others’ work in our annual Showcase of Student-Written and -Directed Plays. By senior year, I had a portfolio of 10-minute plays to submit with my college applications. K-12 Alumnus
ARTS Art students are asked to keep open minds and work thoughtfully. Their shared experiences with art-making are discussed in critiques that emphasize each person’s growth and unique vision. Perceptions are challenged in discussions that lead to a greater appreciation of the unlimited range of expressiveness. Intellectual rigor is encouraged, and classroom discussions open for students a view into the latest trends in major art centers around the world.
IN THE LAST DECADE: state tennis champion, state-leading basketball scorer, Division I, II, & III athletes
ATHLETICS Wyverns are fierce. Fire-breathing dragon fierce. With 14 varsity teams, our Wyverns are true competitors. Talented and experienced athletes have the opportunity to showcase their skills at the varsity level beginning in 9th grade. Because our sports are no-cut, we offer the opportunity for students to try new sports and continue to develop their potential during all four years of high school.
CLUBS are created by and run by students – some are serious, some fun, some goofy, some small, and some huge. If a student wants to start a club, that’s all it takes.
PROJECTS from chess to 80s musicals
ACADEMIC TEAMS from Quick Recall to Math League to Science Olympiad
6
HALF-DAYS of community service
OUR STUDENT LIFE IS QUITE LIVELY
STUDENT LIFE The Commons Room, with its pool table, ping-pong table, couches, and student kitchen, is the hub of student life at the High School. The Courtyard, locker hallways, and other gathering spaces are also welcoming areas where students do their homework or chat with friends. The modified-block class schedule allows time for club meetings and college counseling, and enables students to begin learning to manage their own time.