Academics

Loyola Academy of St. Louis provides a college preparatory academic program, character education, enrichment, and recreation that enable our graduates to succeed in college prep high schools and beyond. Loyola offers an extended school day with breakfast from 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. followed by morning assembly.

The instructional day runs until 3:30 p.m. and is followed by mandatory Enrichment programming and study hall, which ends at 5:30 p.m. (Monday through Thursday). There is no Enrichment or study hall on Friday. Friday dismissal time is 12:30 p.m.

We examine the past and the present so that we can help make positive changes for the future. Our coursework is never intended to belittle or malign any person or group. We are always striving to include more ‘mirrors’ into the curriculum, across classrooms. Mirrors are people who look like our kids. So, in addition to the ‘traditional’ curriculum, we read literature by black authors. We examine art created by black artists. We invite guest speakers who look like our students. And, in our classrooms, we do not shy away from teaching our students what occurred during the enslavement period, Jim Crow era, the economic impacts of it, and ways that our current society is shaped by it. We are trying to grow critical thinkers. In this effort, we expose students to historical events and ask them to draw connections and conclusions. Critical Race Theory is a ‘hot, lightning rod topic’ that has become opinionated, and everyone has their ‘own definition’ of what it actually is. So we do not teach ‘Critical Race Theory’. We teach world history to 6th graders and 7th graders, and US History to our 8th graders. All of our Social Studies courses emphasize skill development (map interpreting, chart deciphering and informational text decoding) and critical thought development (differentiating between facts and opinions, crafting an argument, and analyzing primary and secondary sources).

Additionally, a major component of Loyola programming is the annual, all-school trip to Camp Wartburg. This week-long trip is considered part of Loyola curriculum and, as such, is mandatory for all students.

6th Grade: Advanced Arithmetic and Number Sense (Math), Grammar, Writing Composition and Interpreting Text on an Analytical Level (English/Language Arts), Earth Science (Science), Ancient Civilizations (Social Studies), Old Testament (Religion), Visual Art and Music

7th Grade: Pre-algebra (Math), Grammar, Writing Composition and Analyzing Text on a Literal Level (English/Language Arts), Life Science (Science), Modern World History (Social Studies), New Testament (Religion), Visual Art and Music

8th Grade: Pre-geometry (Math), Grammar, Writing Composition and Exploring Text on an Application Level (English/Language Arts), Physical Science (Science), American History (Social Studies), Church History (Religion), Visual Art and Music