Children learn at an optimal level when they feel emotionally safe. At RA, each child is seen as an individual. Teachers take the time to get to know each child and understand their interests, passions, and talents. Students are encouraged to dream, take risks, and speak their mind in a supportive, connected community.  As childhood is valued and celebrated, imaginations flourish and dreamers become thinkers. 

A preschool - Grade 8 environment provides genuine opportunities for leadership at an early age. Beginning in the Lower School, students lead assemblies and deliver presentations as part of the public speaking program. As students enter the Upper School, leadership roles become more defined and significant. Students in Grade 6, 7, and 8 can be elected to the Upper School Student Council and serve as representatives of the entire student body. As the oldest students in the school, Grade 8 students step into additional leadership roles in their final year: running all-school assemblies, walking Lower School students to their classrooms each day, and acting as role models for younger students. Programs like the Kindergarten/Grade 8 Buddy program intentionally connect older and younger students, contributing to RA's sense of a connected community.  Every Ridgefield Academy student has the chance to step into a leadership role. Without the presence of high school, these leadership roles are recognized, authentic, and valued within the RA/LP community.

It is Ridgefield Academy's commitment to every eighth grader to help find a high school that is the right "fit."  You and your child, along with the Head of Upper School and admissions directors at high schools, will work together to find the next place where your child will grow and thrive.

RA graduates are vigorously pursued by high schools because they are well-prepared, self-assured, self-confident, and well-rounded students. Over 90% of RA graduates attend their first or second choice of high schools.

After many years in the same school system, children are often ready for a change of venue, new friends, and new challenges. Ridgefield Academy ends in grade 8, and students leave together as confident, prepared graduates who are eager for new experiences and possibilities. . Our students are a great support to one another during this process of change and growth.

The comprehensive program at Ridgefield Academy provides a balance of challenging academics, artistic creativity, athletic participation, and character development. All students are involved in all facets of community life at RA and have the opportunity to participate in activities and programs they may not otherwise have in larger schools. Having met challenges and experienced individual success in the preschool - Grade 8 environment, graduates emerge from the academic journey prepared for high school and beyond.