Our Approach

Knowledge matters. Students only become effective readers and grow intellectually by building wide knowledge of the world. Students at St. Charles develop into proficient readers and writers using the researched-back science of reading instructional approach. Content-rich texts are integrated into language arts instruction starting in Pre-K.
To find out more about the science of reading approach, click here. To find out more about the research that supports a content-rich curriculum, click here.

When you walk into our classrooms, you won’t necessarily see pomp and circumstance. You will see a great deal of learning—led by teachers who master their subject matter, use assessment effectively to drive instruction, and scaffold instruction to meet individual students’ needs.
Our approach to teaching uses best practices to engage every student and to reflect our belief that when it comes to a child’s learning, every moment matters.

In a time when great books are increasingly rare subjects of study in schools, our  Reading Reconsidered curriculum challenges students to become better readers and writers through a selection

• Lorraine Hansberry
• Malala Yousefzai
• Frederick Douglass
• John Steinbeck
• William Shakespeare
• Harper Lee

"Teaching content is teaching reading."

—E.D. HIRSCH

We put every student on the path to Algebra 1 in eighth grade, which enables them to access advanced math and science courses in high school and beyond.

"The more productive struggle, the more the brain grows."
— ZARETTA HAMMOND