Northridge Preparatory School

Northridge offers a rigorous liberal arts curriculum focused on educating the whole person. Our students learn not only their subjects, they learn how to work hard, think critically, and develop a spirit of adventure. And they learn how to care for others and appreciate the beauty and goodness of creation. Our graduates score impressive results on AP exams and standardized tests, and many go on to the top universities in the country. Our mission is to develop men of great character, the type of men you would want your daughter to marry, who have the professional competence to become leaders in society and who love God and their faith.

Built upon the foundation of a liberal arts curriculum, personal character formation, and collaboration with parents, Northridge encourages each student to pursue his studies with professional excellence, to possess a spirit of adventure and optimism towards life’s challenges, and to become a man of virtue who desires to love God and serve others. The spiritual formation available at Northridge is entrusted to a priest of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church.

Northridge offers a contemporary liberal arts education to all its students. The curriculum is grounded in the study of literature, history, mathematics, science, languages, philosophy, and theology. It focuses on helping the student acquire intellectual virtues and a hunger for the truth. As a result, a young man learns how to write and speak well, form the habit of concentrated study, and develop a sincere interest in the goodness of the world. Unlike a vocational or technical curriculum which emphasizes specialization, a liberal arts education can be seen as the best preparation for many professions. However, its chief value is not its practical utility but that it cultivates the mind of the student and leads him to pursue a more noble human life.

An integral component to the curriculum, in conjunction with academic studies, is the student’s participation in the school’s athletic teams, performing and fine arts program, and other clubs and activities. These are the training ground for the cultivation of important virtues such as fortitude, order in one’s use of time, commitment to a cause, and a spirit of service.

Starting this educational program in middle school gives a young man a greater opportunity to mold his habits of character and study, thus preparing him to make the most of high school. The high school curriculum, in turn, is challenging and comprehensive so that it prepares the student for any college major and provides him with a broad understanding of Western culture.

Northridge places a strong emphasis on its personal approach to education. Every student is unique and will face different challenges if he is to become a man of culture and virtue. The staff seeks to get to know each young man well and tailor the mission of the school to his personal circumstances. The most important and concrete reflection of this individual attention to each student is the advisory program.

Every student is assigned an advisor from among the faculty who, together with his parents, facilitates his full development as a man. The advisor meets frequently with him one-on-one and, through his example, advice, and encouragement, helps the young man to grow in self-knowledge, achieve his maximum academic potential, and motivate him in his struggle for virtue. Communication and cooperation between the parents (who know their son best) and the advisor is what makes this program successful. In fact, all of the men at Northridge – teachers, administrators, and staff alike – serve as an extension of the advisory program, whether in or beyond the classroom, through their countless interactions with students.

Northridge maintains high standards of professionalism for each student that are evident in nearly every aspect of school life. They are found in coursework that challenges a young man to develop enduring work habits such as perseverance and attention to detail while learning to prioritize in order to make good use of his time. They are found in a faculty that strives to embody and present to a student a model of a man who is both professionally dedicated and personally invested in those around him. They are also found in extracurricular programs that offer a young man additional opportunities to strive for excellence in all that he does.

A Northridge education would be an empty shell if it did not help each student to grow in character and to discover the importance of the spiritual dimension of his life. The example of the faculty, the guidance each student receives from his advisor, and the image of the human person that permeates the school as a whole all contribute to an environment where the practice of virtue is made attractive.

As a result, during his years at Northridge, a student will have the opportunity to develop a father-son relationship with God. He will be taught to seek the truth and to form his conscience according to it. And he will be encouraged to foster within himself a genuine desire to serve and respect others, seeking their ultimate good.