Woodside Priory School

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Woodside Priory School was founded in 1957 by a group of seven Hungarian Benedictine monks from Saint Martin's Archabbey in Pannonhalma, Hungary. Since 1974, the monks have been affiliated with Saint Anselm Abbey in Goffstown, New Hampshire. The School began as an 18-acre ranch and over the years has expanded significantly, with the campus now encompassing 51 acres. Initially, the School was an all-male boarding school, but over the years, the ratio of boarders to day students has changed to the point where today the boarding school accounts for approximately 20% of the student body. In the early 1990s, the School began admitting females to their day program, with the first co-ed class graduating in 1995. In 2004, the School expanded its boarding program to include females.
Priory the only Benedictine College Preparatory school in California! Many successful people remember a time in their teenage years when an inspiring teacher, an exciting class, or an unforgettable experience made a positive difference in their lives. We think students need many of these special moments. We have thought long and hard about how to create them.
An outstanding faculty and a rigorous college-prep curriculum are essential. So is the Benedictine vision of a learning community where members support one another. An upbeat campus atmosphere and the broad co-curricular program also set the stage for a balanced educational adventure.
With our roots in the 1,500-year-old Catholic Benedictine education tradition, we do much more than provide an outstanding college preparatory education. We welcome young people into a community where they feel uniquely known and loved. Priory students feel free to take intellectual and creative risks, discover their passions, and grow in heart, mind, and soul.
St. Benedict advised us to "listen with the ear of our hearts." As a community of educators, we continually reflect on our practices, seek out cutting-edge educational thinking, and embrace better ways to meet our students' needs. Firmly grounded in our core Benedictine values of individuality, community, integrity, hospitality, and spirituality, we face the changing demands of the 21st century with confidence and innovation.
Even our campus reflects our values. Ancient redwood trees stand alongside a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center. Our monks stroll along a trail past a vast array of solar panels. In cozy outdoor plazas, teachers and students laugh and talk together.
Woodside Priory School is a Catholic Benedictine, independent college preparatory school. Our mission is to help all students create meaningful and balanced lives, develop as lifelong learners and stewards, and productively serve a world in need of their gifts.
Academic rigor is part of life at Priory. Our students graduate fully prepared to enter the most selective colleges and universities. Even more important, they leave full of excitement, self-knowledge, and a passion for continuous learning.
Middle and Upper School teachers are experts in their fields of study, most with advanced degrees, who love their subject matter and care deeply about students. Our classes are intentionally small—an average of twelve— and last between an hour and an hour and fifteen minutes, allowing students and teachers to engage deeply in intellectual discourse, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
From sixth through tenth grades, core English, science, math, social science, theology, and world languages provide a solid foundation, while electives allow students to explore the arts. By the time they are juniors and seniors, students design much of their course of study based on their interests and passions, choosing from twenty-two Advanced Placement classes and a wide array of electives, culminating in the self-directed Senior Project.
As educators, we understand that learners have different needs at different times. Whether it is adding three years of coursework beyond Calculus BC to challenge our most advanced math students adequately or offering study skills support at the Academic Resource Center, we are there for all our students throughout their academic journey at Priory.

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