Academics

Westminster’s traditional liberal arts and sciences program provides students with a curriculum that stretches and inspires them to be lifelong learners.  The robust curriculum includes a full slate of 23 Advanced Placement offerings, honors courses and myriad electives and independent study opportunities. Westminster students strive for excellence within a culture that encourages involvement in a wide range of topics and activities, dynamic, layered relationships with faculty members, and the drive to embody the academic “grit and grace” that defines Westminster.

Dedicated and Accomplished Faculty

Westminster’s faculty members possess impressive diplomas, mastery of their subject matter, and years of experience. More importantly, however, faculty dedicate themselves to teaching, mentoring and engaging with our students. We are able to challenge and stretch our students, because a dedicated, skilled and caring faculty supports, guides and works closely with the young people in their classrooms. Small classes and abundant opportunities for extra help ensure close personal attention to each student. Further, because nearly 85% of the faculty lives on campus, students and teachers come together in countless settings – the dining hall, the practice rooms of Werner Centennial Center, the locker rooms and on the fields and courts, faculty apartments and common rooms. Inevitably, students and faculty members quickly become a major presence in each other’s lives. This familiarity is tantamount to creating the close-knit community that remains at the heart of Westminster’s mission and it enables students to see their teachers as approachable, making extra help easier to achieve.  

The Arts at Westminster

A range of opportunities abound, including joining a student-organized a cappella group, providing choreography or musical accompaniment for a Chapel presentation, or contributing art, photography or writing to a publication such as The Westminster News or The Martlet, our student/faculty art and literary magazine. As part of two core values, balance and involvement, students are required to participate in at least one arts course; however, many students pursue their creativity in multiple arts courses as well as additional after-school activities.  

Student Life

Life at Westminster is very busy. Boarding and day students alike quickly learn to recognize all of the exciting opportunities present at a boarding school. Their days and nights are full, challenging, and rewarding, whether they live on or off campus. Everyone at Westminster gets to know one another quickly and, through the common experiences of attending classes, sharing meals, participating in athletics and the arts, and being involved in community service and student organizations, our students develop a sense of belonging to a special community and a corresponding sense of responsibility for contributing to the dynamic life of that community. By the end of their first year here, our students see themselves and the world a little differently than before.  

What it Means to Wear Black & Gold

From the playing fields to the stage, Westminster students are active participants in an afternoon program that brings balance, enjoyment and competition to their lives. All Westminster students participate in an afternoon program during each term of the school year. The emphasis is on athletics; however, the afternoon commitment can include drama, stagecraft, dance, community service or another independent study project. The afternoon program is designed to encourage Westminster core values: community, character, balance and involvement. It's a great way to compete, to be physically active, to perform, to hone your skills or try something new, and to meet different groups of people. Our sports and recreation facilities include 35 acres of playing fields, 14 tennis courts, a 400-meter synthetic track, eight international squash courts, an indoor hockey rink, a new lighted synthetic turf field, baseball and softball fields, basketball courts and a state-of-the-art aquatic center that includes an eight-lane, 25-yard swimming and diving pool, a well-equipped fitness room and our professionally staffed health center.