An independent day school serving grades K-12 | St. Paul, MN

Upper School

The Upper School is home to students in Grades 9-12 and is characterized by advanced inquiry, lively discussion, deep engagement with questions and content, and a strong sense of community.

The Upper School’s 75-minute class periods provide time for broad exploration of ideas within each class and each discipline, and learning is enhanced by state-of-the-art spaces such as the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center (opened in 2018) and the newly-renovated Humanities Wing (opened in 2019). Students are energetic and informed participants in discussions, nuanced and accountable in their analysis, and articulate in their critique and defense of ideas. The Upper School program culminates in seminars that typically use college-level texts and require substantial independent work.

The schedule also has built-in time during the school day for co-curricular activities, studying, and meeting with teachers, and allows for a balanced approach to homework.

Meet our faculty, explore the grade levels below, and learn about our curriculum and community—Welcome to the Upper School!

Explore by Grade Level

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Behind the Scenes in the Upper School

In our "Behind the Scenes" video series, we asked Upper School students to make videos that show what life is really like at SPA. Swipe to the right to explore the video series.

Behind the Scenes: Upper School Seminar-Based Learning

Behind the Scenes: The Rubicon—Our Student Newspaper

Behind the Scenes: Our Favorite Places

Behind the Scenes: Upper School Debate