Mission Statement

Fenster School strives to provide each student with a supportive, structured learning environment and to prepare students for success on national norm-referenced college entrance exams and in post-secondary education.  

Target Area: Mathematics

Target Goal: All students will improve their skills in basic numeric, cross-curricular problem solving, and mathematical comprehension for preparation for national college entrance exams

Target Area: Writing

Target Goal: All students will demonstrate the ability to write in an effective, organized manner, using correct grammar, mechanics, paragraphing and appropriate style in preparation for national college entrance exams.

Target Area: Reading

Target Goal: All students will demonstrate improved comprehension, synthesis and application of written materials across the curriculum in preparation for national college entrance exams.

Fenster School is accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools - Commission of Accreditation and School Improvement.

Philosophy & Objectives

Founded in 1944, the Fenster School is a co-educational, college preparatory school, encompassing grades 9-12. Fenster School is governed as a non-profit corporation by a self perpetuating Board of Trustees, which delegates the responsibility for the school’s operation to the Headmaster.

The Fenster boarding high school enrolls both American and international students. The school seeks college bound students who will make a commitment to learning, who intend to prepare for college and who have the ability and the desire to participate in our programs.

The programs and experiences at the Fenster School seek to achieve these objectives:

• To encourage and guide the academic and social development of our students, thus assisting them to discover and strive toward fulfilling their potential.

• To provide students with the academic skills necessary for success in higher education.

• To foster self-confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline and a sense of responsibility in each of our students.

• To encourage our students to become sensitive toward diversity in people, value systems and lifestyles.

At the Fenster School, we endeavor to meet these objectives by:

• Creating an environment that encourages cooperative and supportive interactions and relationships among the members of the school community.

• Providing a faculty and staff who are firmly committed to our students’ success.

• Setting challenging, yet reasonable standards, of academic achievement, personal performance and social behavior.

• Offering learning experiences designed to develop and refine essential skills, academic knowledge and competencies; specifically, communication skills, mathematical skills, learning and study skills, reference and research skills, and critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving skills.

• Offering small teaching sections, which enhance our ability to monitor and to encourage each student’s academic progress.

• Offering activities and experiences to complement classroom instruction and to increase students’ awareness and knowledge of their own athletic, creative, artistic and leadership abilities.

• Encouraging and assisting our students in finding areas of school life in which they can actively participate.

Fenster Boarding School's Commitment

Our faculty and staff are committed to providing every student with the opportunity of receiving an excellent education. We firmly believe that every student has the potential to exceed past performances and successfully complete both school and state high school graduation requirements and meet university/college admission requirements. Student success is recognized daily in our after school homeroom meetings. Teachers will acknowledge students who have made significant improvements in their classes or have earned good grades on class tests, exams, or classroom projects. We believe that constant positive feedback is essential for student success.

Parents receive communication and support thru weekly progress reports about student's academic and behavioral progress. We follow a practical approach based on matching the consequence with the issue at hand. We do not believe in suspending students back to their parents.

Our boarding schools curriculum is designed to support, encourage and accelerate students from introductory courses to advanced classes and college concurrent classes. The teaching staff is the strength of the academic program. Throughout the teaching and learning process, students will experience a myriad of instructional strategies including visual, hands on, and auditory classroom activities. Small classes taught by dedicated teachers with Bachelor of Arts, Master Degrees, coupled with the tutorial 8th period, and study tables create a supportive academic environment.

  Download the Academic Handbook

Consider the Option of an Academy Boarding School Instead of a High School

At our boarding high school, the curriculum is designed to equip all students for the type of material they will encounter in a college or university. Our teaching staff brings years of experience to the school, and over half of them have either their masters or a Ph.D. Their commitment to the students combined with their own advanced educational background challenge students at levels not found in most high schools.

At Fenster, you can trust that your teen will receive a thorough, well-rounded education that will prepare him or her for a successful career in both college and the job world. Though our advanced curriculum challenges students in every subject, we provide them with the support and materials they need to learn and truly understand the subjects being taught to them.

Though we stress the importance of academics at our boarding high school, we also give students the opportunity to participate in several extracurricular activities. From the school sports, such as volleyball, basketball and soccer, to hiking, horseback riding and swimming, we attempt to supplement our curriculum with a wide variety of activities to round out their education.

If you would like more information about our academy boarding high school, feel free to contact us at any time. You can reach our office at 520-749-3340. You can also call our Headmaster Don Saffer at 520-465-0990. We’ll discuss the different advantages your adolescent will have at our boarding school for high school teens.