JEJU, KOREA – St. Johnsbury Academy, a prestigious US private school with a 170-year tradition, will open a campus on Jeju in September 2015.
Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC) signed the final agreement with St. Johnsbury Academy on the school’s campus to establish and operate an international school in Jeju Global Education City (JGEC) on Jeju Island, Korea.
A delegation from Korea, headed by JDC Chairman ByonJong-il and Kim Sun-woo, the Environmental and Economic Vice Governor for Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Headmaster Thomas Lovett, Edward Zuccaro, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and other school officials participated in the signing ceremony to celebrate the school’s entry into Jeju.
UK-based NLCS Jeju and KIS Jeju opened their doors on Jeju last year, followed byBranksome Hall Asia, a prominent private girls’ school in Canada, in October 2012. If St. Johnsbury Academy takes its place on Jeju in September 2015 as scheduled, Jeju Global Education City will be home to premier private schools from three major English-speaking countries – the US, UK and Canada.
Founded in 1842, St. Johnsbury Academy is a co-educational, college preparatory, private secondary school in New England, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. The school’s alumni include Calvin Coolidge, the 30thpresident of the US.
St. Johnsbury Academy is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), offering 22 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, English as a Second Language (ESL) programs and academic improvement programs depending on students’ level of abilities.
Unlike other private schools that tend to pick outstanding students, the Academy educates local students with diverse backgrounds, being awarded as a ‘Blue Ribbon School’ for exemplary education by the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, an average of 95 percent of the graduating class goes on to university, a sign of excellent academic performance.
The official name of the Academy in Korea will be ‘Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju,’ which is expected to accommodate 1,250 male and female students in grades 4-12.
The Jeju campus will be an independent school mirroring the Academy's proven educational programs and curriculum, while introducing a student and faculty exchange program. Students of Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju will see their diplomas officially recognized in Korea and the US, so they can apply to universities at home and abroad.
Korean parents tend to prefer US schools to other international schools. The presence of US-based St. Johnsbury Academy at JGEC is expected to help attract students not only from Korea but also from China, Japan and Taiwan.
* About St. Johnsbury Academy
□ Overview
- Location: St. Johnsbury, Vermont, USA
- Established: 1842 (founded by Erastus, Thaddeus and Joseph Fairbanks)
- Grades: 9–12, co-educational, day & boarding school
- Enrollment: 919 (including 250 boarders)
□ Curriculum
- 220 academic courses
- 22 AP courses
- Other programs include technology, fine arts, performing arts, visual arts, 4 levels of ESL and 5 foreign languages.
- Accreditation
- Member of the National Association of Independent Schools
- Member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as well as the Executive Board of SJA Principals’ Association
- Member of the Independent School Association of Northern New England
- Awarded as a ‘Blue Ribbon School’ for exemplary education by the U.S. Department of Education
□ Key Features
- The student to teacher ratio is 9 to 1
- 77 percent of faculty holds an advanced degree, offering AP courses
- Students from 27 countries, including Europe, Asia and Africa, are enrolled
- Won the Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement
- 95 percent of graduates advanced to universities in 2011
- Universities included Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth and UCLA
- AP scores in 2012
- 202 students at St. Johnsbury Academy took 370 AP exams. And, the school's passing rate (the percentage of exams on which students earned a score of 3 or higher on a five point scale) was over 79 percent.
57 Academy students were honored as AP Scholars
The average passing rate in Vermont was 66 percent
The average passing rate in the US was 61 percent
- Notable alumni
- Calvin Coolidge, 30thpresident of the US
- Albert W. Barney, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
