Clapham School is an independent school governed by its own Board of Directors. While College Church has been a gracious host of Clapham School since its founding in 2005, we are not affiliated in any way. Our statement of faith is broadly Christian and not tied to any specific church or denomination. Our families come from more than twenty-five different churches in the area.
All Clapham School classes and courses are at a rigorous pace and contain rich content regularly above grade level. Even if some students have the ability to progress more quickly in certain skills than others, all students are expected to go deep and interact with ideas that will mature their hearts and minds.
In math students have the opportunity to test up a level in 7th grade. In the Upper School all core academic courses are designated as honors on transcripts (humanities, science, math and foreign languages).
Clapham School has seen many successful transfers into Middle School (6th-8th) and Upper School (9th-12th). These students normally get training in Latin or French through our Summer Language Institute or private tutoring. Though important, Middle School logic classes are not prerequisites for higher level courses. So students can enjoy our rich curriculum at whatever stage they transfer.
One of the great things about children is how adaptable they are. The vast majority of new students are fully adapted to our method - narrating, discussing, painting and engaging fully with our high quality curriculum - within a couple months of entry. The culture of learning at Clapham is truly catching!
We have found that the great majority of students are able to learn best in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of distractions. Even many of those who seemed to need lots of movement and activity thrive at Clapham. Part of this is because of our engaging and inspiring curriculum.
But we are also attentive to the needs of children at different ages. For younger children our school days are shorter with breaks. Lessons are shorter and engage students in a stimulating variety of activities, like singing, reciting, painting, PE, Nature Study, and hands-on math manipulatives.
At Clapham School parent partnership is taken seriously. We have a thriving parent council of volunteers, and parents get involved in their child’s class through field trips, service projects and in-class activities like handwork.
Also parents receive a monthly newsletter from teachers and participate in the education of their child through checking recitations, reading, and meaningful homework. Our curriculum nights are parent training opportunities, and our three parent-teacher conferences are a crucial way that teachers and parents partner together in the education of each child.
Students in PreK-8th grade arrive between 8:10 and 8:25 am for an 8:30 am start. School ends at 2:45 pm. Some Upper School students (9th-12th grades) take morning courses which begin at 7:30 am.
Since its founding, Clapham School has had a commitment to the personal mentoring and development of each child. Because of this, grade levels are capped at 16 students per class. In lower grades the support of aides and teacher assistants often make the teacher to student ratio even lower.
