Why Single-Sex Academics?
For over 20 years, St. Alphonsus Parish School has offered a single-sex middle school experience in 7th and 8th grades. (For 5th and 6th grades, only religion class is single-sex.) Our program offers a unique choice for parents and students who believe, as we do, that students at this age gain more confidence and are more motivated to excel when the distractions of a co-educational environment are removed. Instruction is molded around the specific needs of each group, with the resulting learning experience being relevant and effective for all students.
Best of Both Worlds
While most core classes like math, science, and humanities are single-sex, enrichment and extracurricular activities combine both boys and girls. Students benefit from a single-sex academic environment and a co-ed social atmosphere, which promotes healthy friendships and interactions.
Other Advantages We Witness
- Girls learn to be more academically competitive; boys learn to be more collaborative.
- Our teachers anticipate the typical classroom behavior and needs of a single-sex group and curate classroom procedures and culture to best serve our students.
- More opportunities exist to deconstruct negative gender stereotypes and role model positive gender expression.
- Standardized test scores for girls in math remain on par with their male peers throughout middle school.
Enrichment Offerings
Every Friday, middle school students have a 2-hour block to dig deeper into a hands-on enrichment course. Offerings vary by trimester:
- Beekeeping
- Iconography
- Model United Nations
- Coding
- Acting
- Musical Theater
- Digital Music
- Academic Decathlon
- Independent Podcast Project
- Yarn & Ink
- Bookbinding
MAP Scores
Like public schools, every school in the Archdiocese of Seattle participates in standardized MAP testing. Our students consistently outperform their public and Archdiocesan school peers in every category.
Preparing to Enter the “Great Conversation”
At St. Alphonsus, our students read great books to join the Great Conversation—discovering timeless ideas, heroic characters, and enduring truths. This list highlights many of the titles our 4th–8th graders explore, some in adapted editions. Teachers thoughtfully rotate selections each year to keep the reading experience rich, fresh, and full of wonder.
Environmental Education Camp
All 6th graders participate in a 3-day environmental education camp at Camp Hamilton. Here, they get to experience science through a Catholic lens using Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’ and the Next Generation Science Standards.
Environmental Education Camp goals:
- Connect with their environment through scientific observation, investigations, and experiential immersion in this beautiful wilderness surrounding Lake Hannan.
- Connect the Catholic faith to the natural world around them.
- Develop a personal connection to God’s Creation.
- Participate in cooperative learning groups and problem solving in a supportive community setting.
