What an amazing experience weve had! Not only are our kids safe and nurtured while being challenged and engaged, we are a part of a large, supportive community. The parents and staff are genuinely fun to be around, and the kids are smart and funny. We have felt so welcomed here.

Choosing the correct school for your child can be daunting. After exploring many options in the area, we made our decision to send Lincoln to St. Pauls Academy (soon to be The Franklin Academy). Selecting to be part of this school community has been the best decision for his education. To see our child flourish academically in a warm environment and enjoy school daily is comforting and awesome. The joy of your child excelling in reading at such a young age is a testament to the teaching style. Krysti and I are proud parents of a St. Pauls student and are thankful to be part of the fabric of the school culture.

Has been a great experience for both my children who have very different personalities.Dynamic changes and great leadership from the Principal.in the lower school have improved the structure and academic flow at the elementary school.. Strong parental participation adds to the school community.MS/HS program getting stronger and music program has awesome leadership. School continues to grow in great ways.Been very happy here!

As a parent of two kids that attend St. Paul’s Academy Preschool and Lower School programs, I am very pleased with the academic richness of the program, personalized attention they are receiving, and the social interactions they have with their peers. A few benefits of the school include small class sizes and a developing emphasis in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, amongst many other subjects. To add to the academics they are engaged in chapel time, which guides them spiritually to become better people and understand what it means to collaborate effectively. The diversity of the school is also another aspect that my kids and I enjoy. There are many families from other faiths and cultures. I highly recommend this school as my husband and I have seen our kids flourish in their confidence as learners, and we are thrilled with the accomplishments they are making with their academics. Our family cant say enough about the caring teachers and staff, too.

Our family is thriving at The Franklin Academy. We never thought we would be an independent school family, but now we are believers! We moved our eldest daughter to the school after some challenges transitioning to our local public middle school and we are thrilled with the changes that we have observed. The small class sizes mean that she cannot hide in the back of class or blend into the crowd. She has learned to be a self-advocate for her own education, and she is experiencing the kind of intense and intimate learning atmosphere that I experienced in upper-level college courses. I truly feel that she will be well prepared for her own college experience academically, emotionally, and socially. Since bringing over our elementary-age children, we have observed similar growth in academics and character. They are politer, better at conflict resolution, hard-working, and so caring about their fellow students and neighbors - values that are encouraged every day through the Franklin Academy Core Commitments. We love this school and this community!

We have three children at St. Pauls, currently sixth grade, third grade and kindergarten. My two younger children also attended Little Epistles preschool. Our experience has been incredible for all three kids, they have flourished academically and socially. We appreciate the small class sizes, the dedicated teachers, and the challenging but encouraging academic environment. Our family highly recommends St. Pauls!

My 2 kids (now in grade 7 and 6) have been at St Pauls since Pre-K and we love SPA! My kids have been challenged academically and have developed a strong community and sense of self in their years at SPA. Both are in the middle school now and having great experiences. We are heavily involved in the day to day life of the school and I feel that it has been a great place for my children to learn and grow.

We were looking for a school environment that would be academically challenging and enriching while fostering the values that we felt would be an anchor in our daughters life. When we came to St. Pauls, we found the community dedicated to both of these ideals. The staff, from the front office to the classroom, is genuinely invested in her success and emotional growth. Parents are always encouraged to participate and be involved in the learning environment, whether its administering monthly geography tests or weekly spelling and classroom activities, to the varied and engaging field trips. When you walk in the door, it feels small and inviting and when you leave hand in hand with your child at the end of the day you are filled with the lessons they learned as well as the connections they have made. You dont get lost at St. Pauls, you find something, for yourself and most importantly, for your children.

The small class sizes and wonderful team of teachers my child engages with has truly been beneficial to my daughters blossoming career as a student. The spiritual encouragement is nice, and the over all positive atmosphere of staff and families alike make for a very welcoming community of people. I love the uniforms and how they remove the stress of peer comparison and keeping up with styles, plus they look amazing! I am very excited to continue my daughters education at Franklin Academy, as is she.

The educators and administrators at St. Pauls Academy pride themselves on nurturing the individual child and striving for academic excellence. Having had experience at other private schools in town, I can honestly say that St. Pauls Academy stands out amongst the rest. The small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and the strong sense of community made this year our best yet!

As proud parents of a Kindergartner at St Pauls Academy and a preschooler at Little Epistles, we are very thankful for the positive environment offered to our kids. From the comprehensive curriculum of science, math, languages, reading and writing to class structure, spiritual enrichment, and community involvement, our kids get to experience it all. More importantly, these skills and programs are offered early on at Little Epistles and make for a smooth and seamless transition to Kindergarten. We have seen our kids flourish and grow, make meaningful connections and learn important skills that they will carry with them for years to come!

St. Pauls Academy has been the best thing we could have done for our son! The small class sizes, caring teachers, warm and welcoming environment, and commitment to academic excellence are abundant! This is our first year at SPA (entering 4th Grade) and we are very happy with our decision. Highly recommended!

Our son has been attending St. Pauls Academy since the first grade and is currently in 8th. This is most definitely the best place for him! The small class sizes, the sense of community, the stellar guidance of the current administration and the focus on strong academics has made all the difference. The faculty from grade 1 to 12 is excellent! Each of them are devoted, caring, smart, nurturing, and committed to making a difference in the lives of the students they teach. We have most certainly found St. Pauls to be our home, and plan to remain through graduation.

Our daughters come home everyday with a backpack full of art, a heart full of joy & a mind brimming with new knowledge gleaned from a challenging academic day at school. This is our first year attending St. Pauls Academy. We enjoy the active parent group & have been welcomed with open arms to St. Pauls Academy. St. Pauls Academy provides a nurturing environment for children to grow & learn.

This is our second year at St. Pauls and we have not been disappointed. The teachers work tirelessly to help my son and the other students grow academically, emotionally and socially, they are also very transparent, caring and willing to discuss my concerns and questions at any time. My son comes home saying how much he loves school and is so excited about what he has learned.Socially they do a great job of working with the kids to teach them how to resolve disputes and always address situations ASAP, they actually have a weekly class on feelings and how to handle emotionally laden situations. My son has a peanut allergy and they entire school has been so supportive and I really feel like they are all looking out for him. He is so proud to call St. Pauls his school!

We moved our daughter to St Pauls in the 3rd grade. We knew it was the right school for us when we saw math and chess trophies in the lobby. We are primarily interested in the best possible academic environment for our child, and there is no doubt in my mind that St. Pauls is the best in the area. The faculty is excellent, and small class sizes insure that classroom time is spent on learning. Our daughter is now in 7th grade at St. Pauls; my wife and I consider ourselves to be very fortunate that we found this school.

This school is everything I was looking for and so much more! I researched/toured a small handful of schools last spring. I had a second grade son and a preschool age daughter. My son had always been so eager and excited to learn. The old cliché of being a little sponge was so true in him. He loved reading, math, science, and everything in between. Somewhere in the first quarter of second grade his excitement began to wane. All his grades were great but something was definitely off. He rarely talked about what was being taught in the classroom. His zeal for reading and learning(in general) took quite a dip. I did the best I could to work with him at home and challenge him, with limited success. I did my best to communicate with the teacher/school to offer some enrichment in those areas where he tested above grade level. It was met with a lukewarm response of too many students to do anything for those that were at or above grade level. I spent many weeks battling with my usual wait and see approach to such things. My son was also reluctant to change schools and leave all his friends. In hindsight, I feel too much time was wasted. I should have pulled him out directly following that disappointing lukewarm meeting. I knew, in my heart, a change was required. So, in spring, I took a tour of St. Pauls Academy. I had just finished attending an open house for another private school(closer to home). I had even began filling out all the registration paperwork for that school. I returned from the St. Pauls tour and knew it was the school for us! My son was able to be student for a day on campus. He loved it and was ready to make the change immediately following this special visit day. There are so many things that attracted us to this school. It is truly a community with amazing parents, teachers, and staff. It is diverse in many respects. Cultural and religious diversity is at the very core of true education, in my opinion. St. Pauls is accepting of all religions and all faiths are celebrated.St. Pauls Academy, with its small class sizes, is able to offer a more individualized education for each child. A rigorous curriculum in with an equal emphasis on social/emotional growth. A school that is giving each student high standards; an opportunity to excel, and be challenged. My sons excitement for learning has returned! Best decision for our family.

Our son is just finishing up kindergarten and there is no doubt that St. Pauls is a fantastic fit for him. He boasts a wide smile at drop off and pick up almost every single day. We came from a Montessori pre-school (which we adored as well). However, the structured learning environment here is a much better fit for our son. My husband and I were initially concerned about whether the religious teachings would be too intense/narrowly focused, but not so much anymore. The cultural diversity St. Pauls offers is actually more pronounced than most other Bellingham schools, and the teachers do a fairly good job educating their students about other belief systems, cultures and traditions.

I attended Saint Pauls Academy from 3rd grade to 8th grade, and it was a very important time in my life. From the community I established with my teachers and peer group, to traveling to England in the Spring of my 8th grade year, the experiences I had at SPA helped me grow as a student and person. Two things that stand out as I look back are learning to manage time/school work and building a foundation that prepared me to do my best in high school and life.

This school is okay but not worth several thousand dollars. My son receives an overwhelming amount of homework and although he finishes it all on time, he doesnt have time to play games, hangout with friends or even get a healthy amount of sleep. this school also profiles against my son whenever other males get into trouble. St. Pauls academy has some sexist views often punishing males and rewarding females (for nothing). St. Pauls Academy offers nothing special except for a ton of homework and small classes. in fact classes are so small that some grades are empty and others have 10-15 people in them. Do not attend St. Pauls academy until they establish an almost acceptable homework schedule and a larger enrollment.

Having family members who worked in the public school system, we have always been big proponents of keeping our child in public school. We found ourselves in a difficult position when our daughter had a tough transition to middle school. Her sixth-grade year was filled with emotional distress due to bullying and an inappropriate situation with a teacher that the principal didn’t seem to take very seriously. Our confident, perky, funny child suddenly became quiet, withdrawn, and anxious. We watched as she started hunching her shoulders and hiding behind her long hair, as if attempting to be invisible. We considered our options and took a tour of St. Paul’s. Immediately, we were impressed by the confident, polite, well-spoken 8th grader who led us around and answered our questions. When we asked her if she liked St. Paul’s, her enormous smile was answer enough. It’s been two years since we first enrolled our daughter at St. Paul’s Academy, and we both agree it was the best thing we could have done for her. Her confidence has returned, she enjoys school again, and she’s made some really wonderful friends who build her up and appreciate her for who she is.Our daughter’s academic performance has improved exponentially, as well, in large part due to the small classroom size and the hands-on nature of the teaching there. As my daughter says, “the teachers don’t just stand at the front of the room and talk to us, they talk with us, like we’re all having one big conversation together.” It is clear that academic excellence is also important to the students at St. Paul’s middle school, and this has influenced my child in a positive way, helping her focus on her own academic performance. The administrators and teachers also work with the students to teach conflict resolution, compassion, and tolerance in a way that is meaningful and has a real impact.It isn’t often that you find a school that excels both in academics and in giving and providing its students emotional support and growth, yet St. Paul’s does both. We are thrilled that they now have a high school program and plan to keep our daughter enrolled through graduation. One last thing I’d like to mention. For parents who are worried about the religious aspect of the school, as we were, I would suggest you tour the school on “chapel day.” The school actually has a diverse religious student body and teaches tolerance of all religions. Additionally, chapel classes focus on how to be caring and compassionate human beings, as well as discussing—in an age appropriate way—important current world events. I cannot speak highly enough of St. Paul’s, and I strongly recommend it to parents looking for both a nurturing environment and a rigorous college-prep school for their children.

I was at this school for a long time now, and have not learned a lot. I didn’t get heathy amounts of sleep because of tons and tons of homework.There was literally 10 people in my class and teachers were not nice to everyone. I recently heard that the school had banned all leggings, shorts, ripped jeans, and non uniform clothing. I think that it’s sexist.

Our kids went through 8th grade at St. Pauls Academy. Looking back, it is easy to see what they gained. For example, our younger daughter said recently that high school was a lot easier for her than for some of her friends because of what she learned at SPA. She said she learned how to manage her time and was comfortable interacting with her teachers. In short, our kids got the academic foundation we expected (being on track for multiple AP classes, comfortable in Spanish II as a freshman, good grades, etc.). But the most important thing they gained by going to SPA may be the confidence they developed. The diversity of students at SPA, the way the teachers interacted with the kids, and the opportunities for personal growth all helped our girls develop a strong sense of self. And it is that sense – a poise – that we appreciate most looking back at their years at SPA.

Bad school. Public schools have more learning and they are much better!

St. Paul’s Academy has given us our son back. Kaarlo was being bullied at his previous school, therefore had begun to lose interest in school, and didn’t want to get out of bed in the mornings and go, cried about having to attend. Whenever I would pick him up from school and ask him what he learned today his response was always ‘nothing’. He was very sad and had no real connection with the school.St. Paul’s is amazing to say the least! The entire faculty puts their arms around their students. It’s not just 1 teacher for their students, it’s every teacher, every faculty member, and every parent putting their arms around your child.Kaarlo is so happy and feels incredibly loved at St. Paul’s Academy which has made all the difference. He is my child again. So happy with an eagerness to learn. He doesn’t have to worry about being bullied anymore therefore he can concentrate on learning, even though it doesn’t feel like learning to him because he’s having so much fun!His teacher Mrs. Jorgensen is incredible with how she engages the children to learn. Not all children learn the same way, therefore teaching them different ways to think is vital and she actually does that. Those that need to be challenged more actually are at St. Paul’s. You don’t have to ask the school to give your child more academically challenging work because they recognize it when your child needs that stimulation for their mind.Every time I pick Kaarlo up from school and I ask him what he has learned today, I get an entire conversation in the car ride home and it doesn’t stop there. He loves to share with his entire family his day, he gets excited to go to school. He gets up in the mornings eats his breakfast and gets changed all on his own.All I can say is Thank you!

I love St. Pauls!! I have the best teacher (Amy Venter, 5th Grade)

Our daughter is in the 6th grade at St. Pauls and we are so pleased. The staff and administration are amazing. They go above and beyond to make each student feel inspired to learn and be apart of the St. Paul’s community not only with academics but also with personal growth. We moved to Bellingham a little over a year ago. After the initial visit with Natalie, we immediately knew that this was the school for our daughter. Thanks to Jamie Estill, Natalie Smith and the entire staff at St. Pauls for such an amazing experience.

Im disappointed in how things are going at the middle and upper school. If you have younger children who are in K-5th, this is a great option.

Both of our daughters began their education at St. Paul’s Academy in the preschool program. Even in preschool, we were pleasantly surprised by the school’s academic emphasis. Although we live in close proximity to a well regarded public elementary school, our family chose to continue our daughters’ education at St. Paul’s Academy’s Lower School. We were impressed by the high academic expectations in a welcoming and nurturing learning environment. The small class size enables individualized education where students are not being taught to just meet the State standard, but to reach their full potential in every subject. Teachers can focus their efforts on educating students instead of disciplining disruptive children. At every grade level, my daughters have had a close-knit peer group that is academically strong and engaged in extracurricular activities. These friends are supportive of one another inside and outside of school. St. Paul’s Academy has fostered a love for learning in our daughters and they look forward to the upcoming Monday at the end of each week. The school does a remarkable job of balancing academic rigor with holistic child education. Moral character development it is an integral part of the curriculum. With a student body that is culturally and religiously diverse, we appreciate the universal humanistic values that are discussed in chapel and intertwined in the classroom. These topics have become the basis of our family dinner time conversations. Additionally, wearing a school uniform has ingrained a mindset for learning in my daughters. At this school, the students focus on education instead of being worried about the latest fashion trends. Having our children attend St. Paul’s Academy has laid a solid foundation for success in life. We are grateful to be part of this family.