Like all independent, college prep schools, Sanford is:

• Safe: Students are expected to be kind and respectful.
• Programmatically strong: We offer outstanding academics, arts and athletics.
• Rigorous and challenging: Our curriculum offers challenging AP and Honors courses that prepare students for any college in the country.
• Personalized: Class sizes average 12 and student to teacher ratio is 9:1.
• College prep: 100% of our students go on to very fine universities and colleges.

We are proud of our program, but if nearly every one of our sister schools can also claim to succeed in these areas, what makes Sanford truly unique and special?

Sanford differentiates itself in three ways:

Sanford has long been known for its kind, comfortable, and relaxed environment.
Sanford students work very hard, but this is not a pressure cooker environment. Students are appropriately challenged and pushed, but Sanford students are not so stressed out that we ruin their childhood. Similarly, while we are a college prep school that prepares students for the most elite colleges in the nation, Sanford does not project an elitist air that one finds at many independent schools. In our Sanford community, kindness and respect are taught and valued; and as a result, students and families feel very welcomed from the moment they arrive on campus.

Our stunning 100-acre campus is a unique setting and the ultimate physical space for learning.
Throughout the school day, students travel between buildings on campus. This movement creates a connection between the divisions and enhances the Sanford experience. Teachers also make use of the outdoors as a learning lab; nature hikes, outdoor reading, stream studies, and leaf collection—the possibilities are endless for creative Sanford teachers to employ our campus.

Sanford’s program focuses on fostering creativity and appropriate risk-taking.
Award-winning visual and performing arts programs are hallmarks of the Sanford experience. The thoughtful work our students do in the studio and on stage also leads to creative problem solving in the classroom. Our belief that every student, when appropriately engaged, has the talent to be successful makes all the difference. As a result, you see students who love to learn and work at school; they are at play while they work. Our graduates return to us year after year with tales from their freshman year about how they taught the dorm floor how to write a term paper, or how a professor displayed their work as examples. Walk our halls or visit our classrooms, and you’ll see students stretching their skills, taking healthy risks, and engaging in their own learning.

Sanford shares space in the Wilmington education market with very fine public and private schools. Fortunately, what Sanford offers to our students and families is unlike anything you’ll find at our colleague schools. Please explore our site; you’ll see what our alumni and current families already know: Sanford is a terrific school and a special place.

Best,
Mark J. Anderson