Welcome to Saint Paul Preparatory School:
The Best Kept Secret in Minnesota!

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT – In 2003, the idea for Saint Paul Preparatory was conceived by myself and three of my partners in international education. We proposed to establish an international high school here in Minnesota, where students from all over the world could study together with local students. The goal was to “bring the world” to Minnesota, to create an international community of high school students. In doing so, American students would gain cultural experience and global understanding without leaving their families, and international students would have a safe, cultural and academic immersion experience while they attended our accredited school. 

During the first five years, the school was fortunate to be located on the campus of Hamline University in Saint Paul, MN. By 2008 however, the school had grown from 21 students to over 150 students. Our student body represented 20 countries and with more growth on the horizon, we needed to find a new space that could accommodate our expanding student community, along with their academic and extra-curricular needs.

In the fall of 2008, St. Paul Preparatory underwent two major transitions.  First, we moved into our new, idyllic space in Cray Plaza.  Located in beautiful historic downtown Saint Paul, our students have access to the public transit and skyway systems, allowing for convenient access to Saint Paul’s art and cultural centers. Our new location offers extensive opportunities for our students to learn about, and experience American culture at its best.

The second critical change was to form a partnership with the highly acclaimed University of St. Thomas to establish cooperative programs of mutual benefit.  St. Paul Prep is proud to be an affiliate high school of the University of St. Thomas, and we are pleased to offer enhanced opportunities to our students, including an SPP alumni tuition reduction and access to college-level coursework. 

At SPP, we emphasize strong academics.  We currently offer Advanced Placement courses and consistently work to expand our curriculum.  SPP also promotes the practical application of academic excellence and cultural understanding; we teach our students the critical, analytical, and technical skills necessary to succeed in tomorrow’s world.   We allocate a significant amount of our financial resources toward scholarships to promote diversity within our student body.  As a result, the majority of our American students receive at least some financial assistance to fund their education.

Through daily interaction with other cultures, our students develop skills: they cooperate despite major culture differences, they cognitively integrate this cultural understanding into their worldview, and they practically apply this into their daily actions and decision making.  To support these skill sets, we have an excellent faculty and staff with a broad range of outstanding educational and professional backgrounds. 

St. Paul Preparatory School is also part of the larger global organization, Nacel Open Door. Each year, Nacel Open Door selects and places over 1,000 international exchange students in public and private schools around the country, and manages significant short-term summer and winter programs throughout the United States.  Additionally, as part of the Nacel International School System (NISS), SPP has 9 sister schools in China, South Korea, the Philippines, France, Vietnam and Poland.  These sister schools offer our high school students the rare opportunity to travel and learn about the world first hand!  As the model school of NISS, SPP has designed the curriculum for its sister schools, so our students can study abroad—without losing any time or credit! The opportunity is endless for our students to travel and learn abroad, making SPP the place for your child to start their international adventure!

Prospective students and families may hear other schools talk about their “globalization efforts”, both Nacel Open Door and St. Paul Preparatory are proud to have turned this concept into a reality. I invite you to visit our school and to see firsthand the great potential which exists in the world’s future international community.