One of the most important decisions a parent will make is where to send their child to school. St. Paul Christian Academy is a junior kindergarten through 6th grade elementary school that highlights academic excellence, a passion for Christ, and leadership development to equip children with values that endure for their life ahead.
Our mission is to help your child excel and prepare them to uniquely shape the world. Our graduates consistently move on to perform with distinction, becoming campus leaders at Nashville’s most selective, college preparatory, next-level schools.
“St. Paul provided a foundational experience for me that I will never forget. My teachers were encouraging and taught me how to have a passion for learning that allowed me to be completely equipped for middle and high school and beyond. One of the greatest values that I learned from St. Paul is that leadership means listening to others and serving them—ultimately, putting the best interests of others above yourself.”
Willa Stansell
St. Paul Class of 2013
2019 Brentwood Academy National Merit Commended Student
Washington University in St. Louis
Lower schoolbegins in junior kindergarten and continues through second grade. The early elementary years are incredibly formative for children’s academic, social, and spiritual growth. We immerse these young students in a supportive and nurturing learning environment and seek to cultivate active and creative learners through a developmentally appropriate curriculum, creating habits and values that are relevant and long-lasting.
St. Paul's upper school includes Grades 3rd - 6th. The academic curriculum remains anchored in the four core disciplines of mathematics, language arts, science, and history. Third graders receive instruction from one homeroom teacher; fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students rotate through subject-specific faculty. Fourth through sixth-grade homeroom teachers serve as subject-matter experts in a core discipline. This structure allows us to focus more intently on each academic area to prepare students for entrance into and success within Nashville's most selective college preparatory schools.
St. Paul enjoys a strong partnership with Green Hills Community Church, but the two organizations are separate entities. Through our partnership with the church, our students present their weekly class chapels in the church sanctuary.
Our families represent more than 20 zip codes in Middle Tennessee. Our most common entry points for students are junior kindergarten, kindergarten, and fifth grade, but we welcome applications for prospective students in all grade levels.
Our goal is to make the St. Paul experience available to any family regardless of their income level. We offer more than $400,000 per year through our financial aid program to nearly 20 percent of our student body. To learn more about financial aid, please click here.
Great minds don't think alike! We realize that no two students are the same when it comes to learning or processing information. One of the greatest resources St. Paul offers is the Center for Student Success (CSS). The CSS program is designed to support and enrich students through research-based methods proven to unlock student potential. In addition to spending time with each of our classes, the CSS offers one-on-one support to students in areas such as test accommodations, study hall or homework help, handwriting, and many other academic areas. To learn more, please click here.
We strive to be intentional in making sure that every new family feels known and supported as they begin at St. Paul. Whether questions about uniforms, lunch, or just getting connected within our community come up, we have a team of individuals who partner with your family to help answer your questions and help you feel prepared. All lower school students (JK-2nd grade) are given an upper school (3rd-6th grade) buddy, and all new families are connected with an existing St. Paul family. Our Parent Council and admissions team will work with your family to answer any questions and help you get comfortable as new St. Paul Saints.
The number one priority of our school is maintaining the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. To learn more about our health and safety response to COVID-19, please click here.
St. Paul has a 8:1 student-teacher ratio. Depending on the grade level, class sizes vary, with some classes, such as junior kindergarten, set at a limit of eight students while our upper school grades can accommodate up to 18 students in a classroom.
St. Paul is fortunate to have an exceptionally talented faculty whose wide-ranging backgrounds help provide rich learning environments for our students. The average years of teaching experience is six, with our most veteran teacher having taught at St. Paul for over 26 years.
One of the most important parts of the elementary school years is providing students opportunities to compete and create. We offer upper school students seven school-sponsored athletic opportunities, including basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, track and field, and volleyball. Students are also introduced to both the visual and performing arts with opportunities to take part in musicals and plays throughout the school year, in addition to numerous arts opportunities.
