School Profile

General Overview and Philosophy:

Solebury School was founded in 1925 as a progressive alternative to the more authoritarian and rigid educational systems of the time. We have continued on this progressive path, adopting many innovative programs well before their common acceptance in American education. Today we continue our tradition as a college preparatory, co-educational boarding and day school, enrolling 220 students in grades 7 through 12/PG.

We encourage students and faculty to act collegially in the learning process and to form relationships based on mutual respect. Intrinsic to our philosophy is a profound respect for the individual and a rejection of conformity for its own sake. Each student is encouraged to think creatively, independently and critically, and to understand his or her responsibility to the larger world. While our style is informal, our curriculum is rigorous and prepares students for success at a range of colleges, including the most prestigious schools in the nation.

Student Body

Although the majority of Solebury’s approximately 220 students come from Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey; in the past three years students have come from 7 states and 8 foreign countries.
Solebury’s students take on leadership roles that are integral to the day-to-day functioning of the school: students run our twice weekly all-school assemblies; students serve with faculty on our Judiciary and Academic Committees; older students act as Peer Leaders and Peer Tutors for younger students; students act as Tour Guides for our admission department; students start and lead their own clubs and organizations (such as Amnesty International and the Solebury Literary Arts Magazine); students also participate in a wide range of competitive sports and other traditional activities. By mentoring students through these responsibilities, Solebury fosters maturity and personal growth in its student body.

Accreditation

Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar

Solebury’s academic year is divided into three trimesters. The first ends in mid-November, the second ends in early March, and the third ends in early June. Class periods are 50 minutes each with additional time for labs. The last three days of each trimester are for final exams.

Class of 2007

There were 45 seniors and 2 Post graduates in the Class of 2007.
The middle 50% range of SAT scores are as follows:

  • Critical Reading: 460-600
  • Math: 500-660
  • Writing: 500-640

The middle 50% range of GPAs: 2.69 – 3.12

Academic Program

A minimum of 109 credits are required for graduation, distributed in the following manner:

  • English-- 24 credits (required each trimester)
  • Mathematics—18 credits (through Algebra II & Trigonometry)
  • Foreign Language—18 credits (3 years of one language)
  • Science—12 credits (Conceptual Physics and Biology)
  • Social Studies—12 credits (US History plus one other)
  • Arts—6 credits (2 full years)
  • Computer—1 credit (waived if student arrives as junior, senior, or PG)
  • Health—1 credit (waived if student arrives as junior, senior, or PG)

Electives to bring total credits to 109

Each full-year course equals 6 credits. Every student must attempt a minimum of 27 credits each year or 9 each trimester. It is important to note that these are minimum requirements and students are encouraged to go as far as they possibly can in each discipline. Those wishing to attend a competitive college should keep in mind that such candidates usually have taken Calculus, two or more laboratory sciences, and often a fourth year of a foreign language. At Solebury students often have 132 to 156 credits at graduation.

Nine AP courses are offered: AP American Studies (which prepares for the AP US History Test), AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP English, AP Environmental Science, AP French Language, AP French Literature, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, and AP US Government & Politics. Twelve Honors courses are currently offered: Biology, Chemistry, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra 2 & Trig, American Studies Literature, Ethics, French 4, History Thesis, Physics, Pre-calculus, and Spanish 4.

Grading

Grading is on a 4 point scale.

A+ (97-100) = 4.333 B+ (87-89) = 3.333 C+ (77-79) = 2.333 D+ (67-69) = 1.333
A (93-96) = 4.0 B (83-86) = 3.000 C (73-76) = 2.000 D (63-66) = 1.000
A- (90-92) = 3.666 B- (80-82) = 2.666 C- (70-72) = 1.666 D- (60-62) = 0.666
[D- is the lowest passing grade] F (59 or less) = 0.000

Honors and AP courses are weighted. The bonus is not added to the course grade itself, but is added in calculating GPA. The Honors bonus is 0.333. The AP bonus is 0.666.

Class Rank

Consistent with our philosophy of education, Solebury School does not rank its students.

Activities

Solebury students are required to participate in three trimesters of a sport or activity each year. They must also complete forty hours of community service (ten hours each year).

Student Discipline

When asked, Solebury School will provide reports of student disciplinary records. These reports will include disciplinary action(s) that include suspension or expulsion from Solebury School that occur during the student’s junior and senior years only. We can not report disciplinary actions taken at other schools.

Summary Statistics

Of the graduates in the past three years, 98% have gone to four-year colleges; the remaining 2% attend community colleges, pursue a post-graduate year of high school, or take a “gap”