Grounded in established child development theory, the CHA-Springside School (CHASS) model of education supports each stage of a student’s intellectual and social development by providing “the right learning environment at the right time”: single-sex classes in the younger grades when learning differences between the genders are most pronounced and coeducational classes in the upper grades when students have reached intellectual and social parity and are getting ready for college and beyond.
The CHASS Model in Action
- In pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, students stay primarily on their own campuses, learning in their respective environments among peers of their own gender, while enjoying periodic visits to the other school to meet their “future classmates.”
- Beginning in Middle School, students share dances, field trips, community service projects, and drama productions.
- In Grades 9 and 10, students begin moving between campuses and sharing faculty and facilities for classes in languages and the arts.
- By Grade 11, all academic subjects are taught in coed classrooms on both campuses, and students choose from an extensive coordinate course catalog.
- Shared activities such as drama productions, robotics, multicultural discussions, proms, and trips enrich the educational environment for Upper School students at both schools. Separate student governments, clubs, and associations ensure that they are able to pursue a full range of extracurricular experiences and leadership opportunities.
Students thrive in this environment where girls can be girls and boys can be boys and, and where they can also be with each other. As one student said, “People here really like the fact that they have two schools. I don’t know of another place you could go where you have two schools. It’s a big part of what makes our education.”
Visit our educational partner:
Chestnut Hill Academy
500 West Willow Grove Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118
215-247-4700 | 
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