Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh

Aquinas Academy is one of the great success stories in independent Catholic education. Since its founding in 1996 as a college preparatory school for students in grades PreK-12, Aquinas has emerged as a recognized leader in academic excellence and character formation. Our graduates are being recruited by some of the nation’s top colleges and universities. Our students’ performance on standardized achievement tests ranks Aquinas among the very top schools nationwide, public or private. In addition, our students score well above average on the National Latin Exam, the college-level Advanced Placement Program tests, and other leading measures of learning and achievement.

We are committed to offering students the finest education possible in a Catholic environment totally faithful to the magisterium. Mass is celebrated daily in the campus chapel and religion is a core subject in our curriculum. We also offer a full range of competitive sports teams and creative opportunities outside the classroom.

Aquinas Academy is a private school formed in the Catholic tradition for boys and girls grades prekindergarten through twelve. The Academy was formed, and will be governed, by parents who are deeply committed to the moral and intellectual formation of their children, which they recognize to be their ultimate responsibility. The Academy is committed to ensuring that this formation takes place in the context of solid Christian teaching and piety which is completely loyal to the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Accordingly, the mission of Aquinas Academy is:

• To serve parents in carrying out their fundamental responsibility to ensure the moral and intellectual formation of their children;
• To foster in the Academy's students a fuller understanding of, and deep appreciation for, their Catholic Faith in a manner completely loyal to the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church;
• To offer Academy students an intensive traditional curriculum covering all the major areas of the liberal arts and natural sciences, in an academic program that is both rigorous and college preparatory;
• To help each student reach his or her fullest potential and acquire the tools necessary to succeed in higher education and professional life;
• To produce exceptionally well-formed and authentically Catholic leaders whose future accomplishments are of service to others and give glory to God in the midst of the world;
• To offer such a program to qualified students from a wide range of social, economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

Our curriculum is designed to prepare students for college by helping them achieve mastery over important academic disciplines. At the same time, we encourage their development of critical and independent thinking skills. Our goal is to equip students with the intellectual resources they need to thrive in an increasingly complex world. Religion and Latin language are core elements of our curriculum. We also pride ourselves on giving students the finest possible education in Western civilization and philosophy.

With our small class sizes and dedicated, highly trained faculty, the Aquinas academic program is a proven success. In mathematics, our students are at least one year ahead of their counterparts in other schools. Their overall performance on standardized achievement tests ranks Aquinas among the very top schools nationwide, public or private. And our graduates are going on to study at some of the nation's top colleges and universities.

Education at Aquinas Academy is a matter of both the mind and the soul. Religion is a core subject at every grade level and the formation of students' Catholic identity is a priority in all of our activities. Mass is offered almost every day and there are regular opportunities for the Sacrament of Confession. Students are also provided many occasions to put their faith into practice through faculty and parent supervised service projects and other charitable outreaches to those in need in our community.