Phillips Exeter Academy vs. St. Paul's School

The founder of Phillips Exeter Academy defined its mission more than two centuries ago.

"Above all," John Phillips stated, "it is expected that the attention of instructors to the disposition of the minds and morals of the youth under their charge will exceed every other care; well considering that though goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and that both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to mankind." It seeks students who combine proven academic ability, intellectual curiosity, and tenacity with decency and good character.

At the Academy, exacting inquiry and thoughtful discourse foster the life of the mind, instruction and activity promote fitness and health, and the daily interactions of a residential school nurture integrity, empathy, and kindness.

Because learning and growth at Exeter arise from each individual's engagement with others, the richness of education here requires diversity in all its dimensions; students and faculty value the differences they bring to the community they share.

St. Paul`s School is a co-educational, fully residential high school founded in 1856.

We are an Episcopal school, welcoming of all faiths, made up of approximately 540 students from all over the world.

We are a community of students and teachers and families, who live and learn together.

We try to live by our School Prayer, which urges kindness and an eagerness to "bear the burdens of others." St. Paul`s is academically rigorous, but staffed with teachers who take the time to know the whole student, whether in the classroom, in the dormitory, on the athletic fields, or along one of the many paths that wind through the 2,000 acre campus.

At the heart of our academic program is a commitment to learner-centered instruction in which students make discoveries for themselves with guidance from and in partnership with their teachers.

In the St. Paul`s classrooms, you will be surrounded by other students and teachers who share your passion for learning. You will be challenged by a curriculum that offers unsurpassed opportunities.

You will build the knowledge and skills that will carry you with confidence to college and beyond.