Why Choose an Independent School?
Why Choose an Independent School?
- High academic standards. In independent schools, all classes prepare students for success in high school, college, and beyond. We nurture intellectual curiosity, stimulate personal growth, and encourage critical thinking.
- Small class sizes and individual attention. Independent schools have low student-teacher ratios that encourage close connections with students.
- Excellent teachers. Independent school faculty teach in their areas of expertise and are passionate about what they do. With more autonomy within the classroom, teachers are able to develop a full understanding of how each student learns and what interests and motivates each individually.
- Education for the whole child. Independent schools nurture students’ personal and social growth and civic conscience as well as their intellectual ability and curiosity. Opportunities extend well beyond the classroom to athletic participation, artistic pursuits, and school leadership experiences.
- Inclusiveness. Independent schools maintain diverse and vibrant communities where each family is known, acknowledged, appreciated, and celebrated.
- A community of parents who actively participate in their children’s education. Independent schools promote frequent communication among students, parents, and teachers to ensure everyone is working toward the same goals for the student.
- The opportunity to choose a school with a mission. Independent schools provide families with the opportunity to select a school whose philosophy, values, and teaching approach is right for their children.
- Most importantly: Independent schools offer an exceptional education that will pay dividends for a lifetime.
- Independent school students perform well above their peers on standardized tests, with 71.7 percent achieving 1100 or better on the SAT (out of 1600) — a score that would qualify most students for admission to highly selective colleges and universities. In the same longitudinal study, 20.2 percent of public school students and 20.6 percent of Catholic school students achieved 1100 or better.
- Nine out of 10 (90.8 percent) of independent school graduates expressed satisfaction with their jobs later in life.
- Independent school students take more advanced courses in high school. They are twice as likely than their counterparts in suburban public schools to enroll in an Advanced Placement course as a sophomore and to complete pre-calculus or higher in mathematics.
- 94% of independent school students play a sport in high school, compared to 77% of public school students.
- One in three (31.8%) of independent school graduates regularly volunteer in their communities. They are nearly twice as likely than their non-independent school peers to volunteer to work for campaigns and causes.
Sea Crest School is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and is accredited by both the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Independent schools are organized as not-for-profits, and we share a commitment to providing a safe environment in which students can learn academic skills as well as the importance of hard work, leadership, personal responsibility, and good citizenship.
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