Recognizing that Specialized Teaching Achieves Results (STAR), St. Elizabeth Academy offers a unique curriculum centered on the belief that each young woman has the ability to make choices and decisions that positively affect her future. Given that choice, students will work for and achieve results far beyond what is expected.

The STAR program encourages students to explore their talents and interests while maintaining a high level of academic performance. In the STAR program students are encouraged and guided to strengthen their weaker academic areas while improving the areas in which they are already strong.

Because of the STAR program, most courses offered at St. Elizabeth Academy have a minimum of two levels of challenge for the student. The levels are separated not by the amount of work but rather by the amount of higher order thinking skills involved. A brief description of the process follows:

• Courses at St. Elizabeth Academy are weighted according to the difficulty level at which the student elects to work.
• Three weeks into each semester the student receives a contract from each of their course instructors with recommendations that the student work at the regular, advanced, or honors level of study.
• The student and her parents discuss the recommendations and sign course contracts. (Parents may also discuss the recommendations with the instructors.)
• The student and her advisor also discuss the contracts.
• Each student works toward completion of her individual goals for each course.

The success of the STAR program is evident. Over 95% of all St. Elizabeth Academy graduates go on to college upon graduation from SEA. Students in the STAR program take responsibility for their own success. The STAR program allows everyone the chance to be a STAR.