Think outside the box.

At the heart of York’s academic reputation is a relationship built on the intellectual curiosity of its students and the talent, experience, and creativity of its faculty. York’s commitment to educational excellence is reinforced in every classroom. Our small classes create a learning environment where you will be supported and encouraged to rise to the challenge. You won’t fall through the cracks here, and if you want to take challenging classes, your teachers will help you reach your goals.

If you think there’s one right answer, think again. York teachers want you to think outside the box. You’ll get a great foundation in all the subject areas but you’ll also get something bigger: critical thinking skills that let you ask insightful questions at higher levels, an understanding of abstract concepts, and the confidence to express your opinions clearly both verbally and on paper. You’re encouraged to intellectually challenge yourself, your classmates, even your teachers.

What’s the point? Learning to ask questions, evaluate information, think analytically, and defend your conclusions makes you more capable of solving problems, making reasoned choices, staying current, and continuing to learn for the rest of your life.

Take it up a notch

At York, your day isn’t all about lectures, notes, and facts to be memorized. Get ready to contribute and support your views. You’ll enjoy lively class discussions while you tackle complex subjects in unexpected ways. You’ll experience learning on a whole new level. And it works for quiet students as well as bold ones; everyone has a voice and learns to use it.

What are you going to learn—and teach—this year? World History students don’t just read about the voyages of Magellan, Vespucci, and Columbus; they plot them on Google Earth and share their bird’s-eye view of oceanic travel with other students. The voyagers used the latest 15th century technology to explore their world; York students use the latest 21st century technology to explore ours. Names and dates are good, but learning to make connections between time periods and people is even better.

Learning isn’t confined to classrooms

Whether you head out for a marine biology field trip, the eighth grade retreat at Pigeon Point lighthouse, a Mock Trial competition, a field hockey game in Gilroy, a tutoring session for elementary students in Seaside, or an informal study session on the commons, you’ll have opportunities to explore new ideas, serve your community, and be exposed to new experiences.

You might stub your toes along the way, but that old adage about learning from your mistakes is all too true. Sometimes there’s no other way; but you’ll find support and advice to help you grow. As your years at York go by, you’ll have more options to choose classes, learn how to schedule your time, figure out how to balance all the good things in life. We want you to think about the future—just don’t forget to enjoy the present.