Stats at a Glance

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Coeducational, Pre-K–12 day school, founded in 1894.

Accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Steven S. Piltch, Head of School

General

Total Enrollment, 2010-11      825

Average Class Size  
Pre-K–K — 13, Grades 1–5 — 15, Middle School — 17, Upper School — 12
Note that these are averages. Class size varies considerably from grade to grade.

Faculty     
118 full- and part-time faculty, 64 percent with graduate degrees, almost 70 percent with 12 or more years of teaching experience and almost 50 percent with nine or more years of experience at Shipley

Student/Faculty Ratio       7:1

Tuition, 2010-11

   Pre-Kindergarten (half day Wed./Fri.) $19,344
   Pre-Kindergarten (full day), Kindergarten $20,800
   Grades 1-2          $22,500
   Grade 3-5            $24,100
   Middle School     $26,675
   Upper School      $28,995

Academics

Until 2009 Shipley offered as many as 17 Advanced Placement courses in a wide range of subjects. After much consideration, we determined that it was in the best interests of our students to drop all but the Studio Art AP course and replace the APs with tailored Honors courses. This gives us much more flexibility, enables us to teach more challenging interdisciplinary courses, and allows our faculty to concentrate on critical thinking skills rather than teaching to standardized tests. Of course, students who desire to take AP tests continue to do so and to perform well on them. Over the last five years, Shipley students have received a score of 3 or more on 90 percent of the tests they took, qualifying them for advanced placement in college courses.

Number of Honors Courses 2010-11:   35
80 percent of students who have taken the Advanced Placement test in studio art have earned the highest or next-to-highest score
Standardized Test Scores Range for Class of 2010

National Merit Program

In the past five years (Class of 2006 – 2010), 24% of Shipley graduates have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as Commended, Finalist, and/or Scholarship Recipients.

Athletics    

Member, Friends Schools League
34 championships in the past five years, including boys' soccer, squash, and lacrosse; girls' field hockey, volleyball, and basketball; plus numerous city, local, and national crew and squash championships

• Upper School competitive team sports:
  • Fall – soccer, field hockey, tennis, cross country, crew
  • Winter – basketball, volleyball (Independent League), squash (Independent League), swimming
  • Spring – lacrosse, baseball, softball, tennis, crew, golf
• Middle School competitive team sports:
  • Fall – soccer, field hockey, tennis, cross country
  • Winter – basketball, volleyball, squash, swimming
  • Spring – lacrosse, baseball, softball, tennis

Performing and Visual Arts

• Full schedule of theater and musical theater productions, including a highly acclaimed Shakespeare program
• 2010 When Lilacs Last, an original producation written by Shipley Theater director, Tony Morinelli, was selected for the New York and Philadelphia Fringe Festivals
• Recent productions have included King Lear, The Merry Wives of Windsor, JB, Marriage of Figaro, The Mikado, and Into the Woods
  
• Consistent awards in local theater competitions for best actor, best scene, best production
• Art is offered as a major course, including AP Studio Drawing and 2-D Design
• Consistent awards in the Annual Montgomery County High School Art Exhibition
• Six select vocal and instrumental ensembles in Upper School, including strings, Jazz Band, chorus, hand bells, and two a cappella vocal groups, Madrigals and Madriguys
• In 2009, two Shipley students earned Pennsylvania Awards for Creative Achievement in the Arts, one for visual arts in new media, one for music performance in violin

Service Learning

• 40-hour requirement for graduation
• Three-week senior service project concludes the senior year; recent large group projects have been undertaken in New Orleans and West Virginia
•  All students participate in service learning projects throughout the year, including weekend events
•  Numerous voluntary special projects available with over 50 organizations
•  Social Impact Consortium course offered in grades 11 – 12
•  Pennsylvania Special Olympics bocce tournament hosted by Shipley each fall for over 100 athletes
•  Middle School students participate in Service Fridays each month throughout the school year
•  Ongoing partnership with the Brain Tree Primary School in Uganda
• Partnership with educational organization in Haiti

Graduation Requirements and Recommended Course of Study

The majority of students take 3 years each of science and history. All students carry 5 major courses, with an option of 6, as appropriate.

College Matriculations

View the 2006-2010 College Matriculations (PDF)

National Merit

In the past five years (Classes of 2006 – 2010), 24 percent of Shipley graduates have received National Merit recognition.

In the graduating class of 2010, 4 students were named Scholars, 5 were Finalists, and 7 were Commended, and 2 were National Achievement Scholars .

Championships

Shipley teams have won 34 championships in the past 5 years.

View Sports Highlights

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