Overview
Implicit in Solebury’s philosophy is our goal to engage and excite kids about learning. We want students turned on by ideas, committed to their passions, and encouraged by teachers. When this happens in the classroom, all sorts of opportunities open up for students, not the least of which is access to the most competitive colleges.
Solebury’s curriculum is academically demanding, has incredible breadth, and addresses the different needs and abilities of our students in creative and innovative ways. Our approach to academics is rigorous, but it's also caring and supportive.
We have an unusual depth of opportunity for academically talented students here. Students can choose from the two dozen Honors and AP courses, develop Independent Studies, and ultimately even pursue a Senior Project. In addition, we also have about one hundred demanding and challenging trimester and full-year courses that are uncommon at the high school level (for descriptions of all our classes, please see the “Academic Bulletin” under the Academic section).
Our small size is an important factor in creating an environment in which academic excellence is prized and possible for a wide range of students. With a faculty/student ratio of one to six and an average class size of eleven, our teachers have time to learn the best way to reach each student. We believe this closeness makes students more willing to work because they are known as individuals rather than a nameless face in a crowd of students. At Solebury, excellence is demanded and the means is provided to achieve it.
Faculty Voices
William Collier
Head of Science Department, Yearbook
"In my eighteen years at Solebury, I have seen the student body grow, not only in size, but also in strength. We have more and more students able and eager to take honors and high-level science courses. Here at Solebury, I have the freedom to branch out from traditional core courses into more unusual territory. Over the years, I have designed and taught such electives as tropical ecology, holography, chaos theory, and the physics of music. My interests are diverse and Solebury provides the opportunity to pursue them."
Peter Ammirati
Social Science and English Teacher, Solebury Alumnus 1982
"When I first came to Solebury ten years ago, I was given the opportunity to develop electives in History and Social Science. Over the first few years I offered ten different courses, such as Anthropology, Political Philosophy, Native American History, Modern China, Arab World and the West, Environmental History, Modern Middle East, and the History of Modern Ireland. What I found most energizing was that I was teaching material I enjoyed, to students who were choosing to take the courses. Students at Solebury are fantastic-they are curious, independent and, sometimes, unconventional thinkers. What I think is hardest for outsiders to understand is how a school that appears informal can be rigorous. The short answer is this: our informality at Solebury tends to counter student fear and passivity about school and tends to foster close working relationships between students and teachers. Our juniors and seniors do college level work motivated mainly by the positive intellectual relationship they have developed with
their teachers."