Academics
Academics
Redefining Education: Going Beyond College Prep
To discover your true self, to develop a passion for learning that extends beyond grades, to connect with peers across interests, grade-levels, and different backgrounds and experiences, to express gratitude and appreciation to and for one another, to honor different perspectives, and to respect the world around you—these are the values of an SA education and one that prepares our students to lead a purposeful life.
Here, every student is known, seen, and celebrated in becoming and being the best of themselves as an individual. We have designed a daily and annual schedule that unlocks our ability to allow each student to create an individualized, meaningful pathway of learning, inspired by their interests, passions, and curiosity—all without sacrificing the rigor and quality of our college preparatory curriculum.
In fact, this way of organizing our time strengthens the overall rigor of our college preparatory program, because it provides with access to more opportunities to delve deeper in programs of study, explore interests with great intention, and challenge themselves in new courses and fields of study. Thoroughly student-centered and inspired by research on meaningful learning, this schedule is essential to our strategic goal of reimagining education and going beyond the traditional limitations of a “college prep” curriculum and program.
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STEM
Our STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Department brings our students to the forefront of scientific thinking. -
Humanities
Our Humanities courses teach students to think critically and creatively, to collaborate, to lead, to disagree, and to build consensus, using an interdisciplinary approach. -
World Languages
We believe that the best way to understand another culture is from the inside out: if students learn a language well enough, the will develop a profound internal understanding of self and other. -
Visual and Performing Arts
The Arts Department helps students bring their thoughts and feelings to life through music, performance, and visual and physical expression.
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Amazing Faculty
85% have advanced degrees, average class size is 16, and teachers carry a student load of 45-60 per day -
Breadth & Depth
With over 85 courses to choose from, students have the option to pursue both breadth and depth in our curriculum from an array of many interesting core academic and elective courses -
Advanced Courses
Students seeking to challenge themselves may pursue a variety of our most rigorous courses with Advanced Studies (AS) courses to choose from. Our Advanced Studies (AS) program meets and exceeds the standards of rigor, depth, and challenge that many parents associate with the Advanced Placement (AP) program. AS courses are offered in all disciplines, allowing our students to deeply challenge themselves and to demonstrate commitment and academic rigor. Complete course offerings and descriptions are available in our 2024-2025 Course Catalog. -
Small Classes
With an average class size of 16, our students are known, seen, and supported -
Student-to-Teacher Ratio
A 12-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio ensures that our teachers really get to know your student
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Sonoma Academy Is...
...the only private, independent, college preparatory high school in Sonoma County. On our beautiful campus nestled at the base of Taylor Mountain in Southeastern Santa Rosa, our students are able to explore their interests and passions in a rigorous and inspiring environment that develops a lifelong love of learning and prepares them for college and beyond.
Sonoma Academy admits students of any race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability, to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and tuition assistance programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
