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There aren\u2019t a lot of sure things in life. Financial markets are volatile; fashion is fickle, and this year\u2019s winning team can snooze next season. In an unpredictable world, one of the best bets you can make is investing in a rigorous and empowering college prep education that will pay life-long dividends for your child.<\/p>\n
Research<\/a> from the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) demonstrates that independent schools\u2014including private institutions like Mounds Park Academy\u2014prepare students for academic success, with graduating seniors at NAIS schools achieving substantially higher SAT results. Additionally, independent schools strengthen 21st century skills, with graduates spending more time asking questions in class, evaluating the quality or reliability of information, and looking for alternative solutions to a problem.<\/p>\n Independent schools also nurture in students the desire for a future that combines economic success with social responsibility and personal fulfillment. The data shows that graduates from NAIS schools were more likely than public school graduates to feel it is important or essential to be community leaders or become successful in their own businesses.<\/p>\n Excellence And MPA<\/strong> Our school is also a place where children can explore subjects in and outside of the classroom, and actively engage in the world around them. Our students include state champion<\/a> athletes, Fortune 500 interns<\/a>, and environmental activists<\/a>. Our alumni represent entrepreneurs, magazine editors<\/a>, and mentors<\/a>. Our 32 acre campus<\/a> features a new state-of-the-art library, cafeteria, kitchen, teaching kitchen, makerspace, and commons that create a fresh framework for learning and doing.<\/p>\n Throughout their MPA education, students can pursue a well-rounded range of interests from art and music, to athletics and engineering, to public policy and social justice. Our full slate of extracurricular activities<\/a> complement the academic experience<\/a> and enrich students\u2019 lives while developing perseverance, character, teamwork and leadership\u2014all skills that will help them succeed in school and beyond. With an average class size of 14 and a student to teacher ratio of 7:1, small class sizes mean that teachers are able to know their students, better evaluate their academic and personal strengths and challenges, and then engage them in ways that ensure they thrive.<\/p>\n MPA is a strong advocate for the open dialogue, respectful discourse, and critical thinking that help prepare young minds for college, careers, and life. Our small classes and connected community create the best learning environment, where teachers know and understand each child, and where people treat each other with kindness and respect. We value progress over perfection\u2014learning to navigate bumps in the road, to start and then re-map a journey, is essential to emotional and intellectual resilience. Instead of needing to always \u201cget it right\u201d students are encouraged to do right, with integrity and compassion.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m truly honored to serve as Head of School,” says Dr. Bill Hudson<\/a>. “MPA is a remarkable place. While we may share many characteristics of other independent schools, we have a unique mission that lives deep within each teacher and staff member and manifests itself in the lives our students and successful alumni. They truly do dream big and do right, and that makes me so very proud.”<\/p>\n Learn more about it: Private Education at MPA<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMounds Park Academy is one of the top two private schools<\/a> in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area and one of the nation\u2019s top STEM schools. We have a proven track record for excellence that seamlessly merges academics, arts and athletics in a welcoming environment that provides personalized attention. MPA cultivates each child\u2019s strengths and fosters a love of learning, equipping students to make their mark individually and improve our global community. Mounds Park Academy families hail from 64 different zip codes throughout the greater Twin Cities and western Wisconsin, and reflect a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.<\/p>\n![\"ninth](\"https:\/\/nclhx5yj.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/investing2wpstory-1-400x271.jpg\")
Becoming Their Best Selves<\/strong>
\nAt elite private schools like MPA, students take part in intellectually stimulating academic courses that instill curiosity and independent thinking, while challenging them to become their best selves and excel at their studies. For example, the vast majority (79 percent) of students in the Class of 2019 earned an overall 3.0 grade average or higher, and nearly half of our newest alumni achieved a GPA of 3.5 or better. The 56 members of the Class of 2019 received 108 offers of admission from four-year colleges and universities in 31 states from the East to the West Coast. They chose to attend 43 different schools in 18 states and Washington, D.C. More than 100 institutions travel to MPA to recruit our students each year.<\/p>\n\n
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