Mission Statement

The mission of the Spring Street School is to provide capable young people in grades 6-12 with academic and personal challenge in a supportive setting. The school seeks, through an integrated approach to lifelong learning, to prepare students for the disciplined and compassionate exercise of the widest possible range of choices in life.

"The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."

-Albert Einstein, 1936

Overview

Spring Street School opened in the Fall of 1995 in response to the interest of students and parents seeking a rigorous academic program responsive to the skill levels and interests of individual students. The school is approved by the Washington State Board of Education to serve students in grades 6 through 12. Spring Street School is an independent school and pursuing membership in the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools. The school is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. As an independent school, it is registered as a non-profit organization governed by a board of trustees, and is committed to independence of control by any government or church agency, or special interest group. The school, its teachers and administrators, are accountable directly to its students and parents. It is free to select its own goals, curricula, teachers and students in the pursuit of excellence in education.

Spring Street School is located at 505 Spring Street in Friday Harbor, Washington. Approximately two-thirds of its students come from San Juan Island, and the others commute from Orcas, Shaw and Lopez Islands. The unique setting of the school enhances the core program by allowing a diversity of educational experiences, through access to the local environment and community resources, and the use of unique talents of community member. While an atmosphere of intimacy is critical to the school’s functioning, the use of resource people insures that students are exposed to an unusually broad range of perspectives. The school seeks to promote a balance for students between an intensive academic program and experiential education, including field trips, wilderness experiences and an overseas program. We believe the exposure our students receive to a wide range of experiences helps keep the isolation of island living from imposing limitations on their choices in life.