Charles Wright Academy

Our school is an extraordinary place to be a student. We have a beautiful 107-acre campus with impressive facilities that provide space for what really matters: the learning experience children share with their classmates and the extraordinary commitment to care that each of our faculty and staff has for your child. Wander our website and you will get a sense of our community’s values of generosity, responsibility, intellectual curiosity, perseverance, and integrity.

From the kindergartners’ joyful creating and executing of imaginary games on the playground and their excitement to quickly transition to reading books, to the Middle Schoolers engaged in thoughtful conversation about hunger and social justice even as they eagerly anticipated the Ultimate tournament that afternoon, to the richness of conversation among Upper School students in their Advanced Placement classes, there is a healthily balanced program that includes amazing opportunities to engage in academics, arts, and athletics. The experience of being a Charles Wright student is truly extraordinary.

At the most foundational level, this experience is possible because of the remarkable, talented, and committed faculty. Our faculty is dedicated to helping each of our students learn how to think, not what to think. They are invested in the success of each student—a success that is measured in many ways, from vibrant peer relationships; to scores on standardized tests; to college placement; to developing qualities of teamwork, leadership, and healthy habits of a lifetime. At Charles Wright Academy, your child will have the opportunity to grow into his or her greatest potential.

Charles Wright Academy provides a rigorous and dynamic liberal arts education built on the principles of excellence and compassion. Within an inclusive and globally aware learning community, we foster self-reliance, integrity, social responsibility, and humor, inspiring our students to discover within themselves the courage to achieve their personal best in mind, body, and spirit. Charles Wright Academy is a diverse and inclusive learning community. Cultivating respect and compassion is part of our work to create a campus climate that is nurturing to all our students, faculty, staff and families.

Diversity is embedded into every student’s experience at Charles Wright, inside the classroom and beyond. From Jr. K through the Upper School, Charles Wright’s curriculum digs deeply into the perspectives and experiences of many cultures. For example, Lower School students explore our world through projects, literature and community celebrations. Students in the fourth grade view the history of the Pacific Northwest using a multicultural lens.

In seventh grade English, students focus on the theme of identity, delving into the perspectives of a variety of authors and using those experiences to explore their own identities. This theme continues in 8th grade art, culminating in a gallery opening of student heritage paintings during Middle School Heritage Night, a potluck dinner that invites families to celebrate and share their unique traditions and backgrounds.

Additionally, many of our service projects give students an opportunity to engage with diverse communities, including our longstanding partnerships with the L’Arche Farm and Gardens, Boys and Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound, and Phoenix Housing Network. Upper School students lead their own clubs, tackling social justice issues, celebrating multiculturalism, engaging in dialogue about gender and sexual identities, and educating their peers about diversity. Charles Wright Academy’s Global Summit brings high school students from around the world to our campus to explore diverse perspectives through personal connections and friendship. As part of ongoing professional development, faculty and staff participate in annual diversity workshops, led by the campus Diversity Committee, tackling such topics as spirituality, gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity.

Learning is all about people. It’s about the relationships a student forms with peers and teachers. It’s about the support parents and school leaders provide. We want you to get to know our students, parents, faculty, and alumni.

As you’ll see, our students and alumni represent a broad range of academic, artistic, and athletic aptitudes and abilities. The common attributes they share are a motivation to learn, desire to work hard and persist in the face of challenges, willingness to cooperate and engage fully in the life of the community, and a generally trusting and respectful attitude towards teachers and classmates.