The Priory Approach

Priory provides one of the strongest college preparatory programs in the St. Louis area for boys in grades 7 through 12.

Our academic program imparts the intellectual skills and habits of inquiry, study, and reflection that are vital to a successful future.

In the early stages of their Priory experience, students are required to follow a liberal arts course of study involving coursework in nine academic departments. Priory’s curriculum provides the foundation to prepare young men for admission to distinguished colleges and universities, and, perhaps more importantly, it enables them to undertake further studies with success.

As students progress through Priory’s program, their opportunities for variety in course selection increase. Some of our students elect to continue their study of the classical languages, while others choose to participate in our computer science program. Each boy continues to develop his craft in our visual or fine arts electives for a minimum of two years in the High School.

By the time they are juniors and seniors, most of our students are challenged by Advanced Placement (AP) work in several disciplines.

During their senior year, students produce a substantive thesis on a topic of their choice, working independently with a faculty advisor. This thesis project serves as preparation for college-level research and writing.

Our Junior School and High School directors, department heads and faculty members work with our students to ensure the boys are taking a strong and varied course load, paying careful attention to each student’s total school involvement, athletic and other curricular commitments, and overall combination of classes.


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AP Exams

In 2018, Priory students took a total of 266 AP exams in 15 different subjects, and achieved qualifying scores on more than 87%.

  • Subjects with 100% qualifying scores: English Language, European History, Calculus BC, French Language, Spanish Language
  • Subjects with more than 90% qualifying scores: US History, Calculus AB, Chemistry, Physics C, Latin