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St. Michael's has a current enrollment of 223 students in grades PreK-3 through eight. The majority of our families come from Aquidneck Island (which includes the communities of Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth). The remainder come from over the bridges - Jamestown, Saunderstown and South County in one direction, and Tiverton and Bristol in the other.
There are forty-three faculty members on the teaching staff, more than half of whom hold advanced degrees. Four of those forty-three have been here for more than twenty years, and close to half of them have been at St. Michael's for more than ten.
The St. Michael's Journey
Early Childhood
Preschool (PS-3), Pre-Kindergarten (PreK-4), and Kindergarten (K).
Class size: Ten to twelve students, with a student-teacher ratio of 12:1
- Preschool for three-year-olds (8:30 - 12:30; five mornings per week)
Using creative play, art projects and story time, the faculty (one teacher plus an assistant) encourages our youngest students to discover what lies beyond the boundaries of the world they know, and about sharing and working with others. Children stay for lunch and do not have to attend school all five days per week.
- Pre-Kindergarten for four-year-olds (8:30 - 12:30; Monday-Friday)
Students in PreK-4 work on their developing mastery of letters and numbers. They are exposed to a developmentally appropriate curriculum of books, art, music, science, and P.E. Field trips to local farms and "castles", firehouses, and wildlife preserves are also scheduled. Students in PreK-4 attend school all five mornings per week, and stay for lunch.
- Kindergarten (8:00-2:45 with optional Extended School Day (ESD) from 3 - 5pm)
Kindergartners carry on the journey with abundant exposure to books (including writing and illustrating their own works), numbers (to 100 and beyond), science, and the ongoing enrichment of art and music. They also have regular P.E. classes, take field trips, and begin to work within the structure of a regular school day.
For more information, please visit our Early Childhood page.
Lower School
1st-4th Grades (7:55-2:45 with optional Extended School Day (ESD) from 3 - 5pm)
Class size: Ten to twelve students, with a student-teacher ratio of 12:1
The road from Early Childhood to the Middle School brings our students to the Lower School in the Mason House. From literature and math, to a universe defined by mammals, birds, and marine life, our students explore the world around them through interdisciplinary, technology enhanced, thematic studies. These young students flourish as competent readers, map makers, researchers, and Internet explorers, traveling through volcanoes, across the United States, and deep into the heart of Africa. As creative wonders, they complete a myriad of art projects, drama presentations, and music performances. Last but not least, they are encouraged to become socially responsible, learning about sportsmanship in P.E., respectful behavior in the classroom, and the importance of helping others through community service.
For more information, please visit our Lower School page.
Middle School
5th-8th Grade (7:55-2:45 with sports/drama until 4:30 and optional Extended School Day (ESD) from 3 - 5pm)
Class size: No more than sixteen
The journey continues to the Van Buren Building for Middle School. Students trek from the Fertile Crescent through Ancient Greece, Egypt, and medieval Europe. They travel the solar system, and then go on to study the Renaissance, Civil Rights Movement, and the Civil War. They read Steinbeck, Salinger, and Shakespeare, and learn Algebra, quadratic functions, and Newton's third law. Each middle school student takes five core academic courses per year: English, math, history, science, and foreign language. In the 5th grade, students are exposed to one semester each of French and Spanish. Beginning in the 6th grade, they focus on a single language for the remainder of their middle school career. Through science labs, interdisciplinary projects, and technology enhanced curricula, the middle school prepares our students for the challenges of high school.
In addition to the academic courses, students continue to study art, music, theatre, technical theatre, and computer graphics through the arts program, and they develop physically as they play soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and tennis in the after-school sports program.
For more information, please visit our Middle School page.
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