San Antonio Academy
Curriculum & Programs
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Learning at The Academy
San Antonio Academy’s curriculum is driven by our mission to offer an exceptional education intentionally crafted for boys, Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade. We do this through a culture built with our four core values: scholarship, leadership, integrity, and brotherhood. The mission and values are seen in everything we do at SAA, including our curricular program.
Our curriculum provides a strong foundation of academic skills. Students study reading, language arts, social studies, math, science and foreign language. Fine arts, music, integrated technology, library/research skills, and physical education broaden their perspective. We believe that a good education should teach students to solve problems; to express themselves clearly, correctly and cogently; and to become task-committed and self-disciplined.
Primary School
The Primary School program is created using our understanding of the developmental sequence of boys and teaching strategies proven to be beneficial for boys’ learning. Students take courses in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, outdoor education, and Spanish language, as well as instruction in visual and performing arts.
Elementary School
The Elementary School program offers courses in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and Spanish as well as instruction in visual and performing arts. Additional classes include choice classes that include Outdoor Leadership, coding, and robotics.
Middle School
Academy boys in grades 6th through 8th will have expanded opportunities to build upon their critical thinking, social/emotional intelligence, and leadership skills that will help prepare them for high school and beyond. These final three years of their Academy career will be a time where their "bond of brotherhood" will be strengthened, forging friendships that often last a lifetime.
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Signature Programs
Three decades of research shows that boys learn differently from girls. As an all-boys school, San Antonio Academy uses research on the unique strengths of the boy brain to create an environment and educational experience that best supports boy development. The Academy is a school where boys get to be boys while learning how to be compassionate leaders.
![character education]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1754939655/saacademyorg/mrpoj14i207va8gjsqzz/CharacterEducation.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1754939655/saacademyorg/mrpoj14i207va8gjsqzz/CharacterEducation.png","width":500}])
![outdoor education]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1754939685/saacademyorg/yqezrgyggwljber6ggtr/OutdoorEducation.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1754939685/saacademyorg/yqezrgyggwljber6ggtr/OutdoorEducation.png","width":500}])
![leadership education]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1754939623/saacademyorg/at85gjxno7qwwi3u55ly/LeadershipEducation.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1754939623/saacademyorg/at85gjxno7qwwi3u55ly/LeadershipEducation.png","width":500}])
![service learning]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1754939520/saacademyorg/rioihszwudkntwfdcocj/ServiceLearning.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1754939520/saacademyorg/rioihszwudkntwfdcocj/ServiceLearning.png","width":500}])
![public speaking]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1754939560/saacademyorg/kdxcek5ikvyebzd9mubj/PublicSpeaking.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1754939560/saacademyorg/kdxcek5ikvyebzd9mubj/PublicSpeaking.png","width":500}])
San Antonio Academy is a wonderful school for our son. The academic opportunities and staff are amazing! We couldn’t be happier with SAA and love their motto: “Be honest. Be kind. Be the best you can be."– Laura H.
Bond of Brotherhood
The "Bond of Brotherhood" encompasses all of the signature programs at SAA. An afterschool atmosphere where the boys play and interact together, the opportunities that arise during family-style lunches, and opportunities for the older boys to mentor our younger students, are all part of the unspoken traditions that make The Academy unique.
Academic News
See how our boys learn in an educational environment intentionally crafted for them.
News Slideshow
![Once an Academy Boy, Always an Academy Brother]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1792175081/saacademyorg/nelswnmjgj3ifmq7bhbg/alumnidaythumbnail.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1792175081/saacademyorg/nelswnmjgj3ifmq7bhbg/alumnidaythumbnail.jpg","width":500}])
Nearly 70 alumni returned to campus Friday for Alumni Day, one of SAA’s most meaningful traditions, giving our youngest cadets a front-row seat to see what a Bond of Brothers really looks like. Graduates spanning more than 50 years, from the Class of 1972 to the Class of 2026, filled chapel, marked reunion milestones, and watched as new cadets took the Joining Oath.
![dr. gurian presentation]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1791926329/saacademyorg/nb2ryurypkn0uwqbrpjy/dr-gurian-parent-talk-11.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1791926329/saacademyorg/nb2ryurypkn0uwqbrpjy/dr-gurian-parent-talk-11.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1791926329/saacademyorg/nb2ryurypkn0uwqbrpjy/dr-gurian-parent-talk-11.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1791926329/saacademyorg/nb2ryurypkn0uwqbrpjy/dr-gurian-parent-talk-11.png","width":866}])
More than 100 parents, grandparents, alumni, and educators filled San Antonio Academy’s Ellison Hall on the evening of Oct. 7 to hear a simple idea: To teach boys well, start by understanding how they learn. The speaker was Dr. Michael Gurian, a best-selling author and co-founder of the Gurian Institute.
![Previous Battalion Commanders with the newly appointed 2026-2027 Battalion Commander]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1791466827/saacademyorg/w4fvitmaak7yijsewdq8/thumbnail.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1791466827/saacademyorg/w4fvitmaak7yijsewdq8/thumbnail.png","width":500}])
San Antonio Academy’s Order of Merit Committee has announced the Battalion leadership positions for the 2026–27 school year. At a ceremony after chapel on Oct. 7, all 8th graders and select 6th and 7th graders were inducted into their new roles. Families of the inductees were invited to attend and pin their sons with their new ranks. Former Battalion Commanders were invited back as well. In attendance were Joseph Shields '05, Christopher Goldsbury ’19, and Matt Silva ’02.
![the wildcat way]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1787340639/saacademyorg/oh43vs8lvebpvpwqaoyu/the-wildcat-way-sgtmaj.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1787340639/saacademyorg/oh43vs8lvebpvpwqaoyu/the-wildcat-way-sgtmaj.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1787340639/saacademyorg/oh43vs8lvebpvpwqaoyu/the-wildcat-way-sgtmaj.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1787340639/saacademyorg/oh43vs8lvebpvpwqaoyu/the-wildcat-way-sgtmaj.png","width":1000}])
San Antonio Academy opened the 2026-27 school year with The Wildcat Way: Building Our Foundation, a two-day experience designed to give Elementary and Middle School students a shared understanding of what it means to be an Academy Boy. Students explored the traditions, values, and expectations that shape daily life at SAA, including The Academy Motto and Pillars, chapel, lunchroom etiquette, uniforms, technology use, and classroom routines. Reflection and conversation gave the boys space to consider something deeper: not simply what is expected of them, but why those expectations matter.
![National Spanish Exams]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1784135003/saacademyorg/zkdm5sfl16jdhj1o5ea4/national-spanish-exam.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1784135003/saacademyorg/zkdm5sfl16jdhj1o5ea4/national-spanish-exam.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1784135003/saacademyorg/zkdm5sfl16jdhj1o5ea4/national-spanish-exam.png","width":800}])
Our 8th-grade students earned outstanding national recognition on the 2026 National Spanish Exam, receiving three Gold Medals, three Bronze Medals, and 11 Honorable Mentions among more than 83,000 students nationwide! We proudly celebrate every student who participated, with special recognition to Mateo N. and Kevin G. for earning the rare distinction of perfect scores on the exam. Their achievement reflects the dedication, discipline, and pursuit of excellence that define an Academy education. Read More