The St. John's College Summer Academy brings high school students ages 14–18 into the college's signature great books curriculum for a one-week on-campus or four-day online immersive experience. Small seminar groups read and discuss primary texts spanning 3,000 years — from ancient philosophy and Shakespeare to Jane Austen and James Baldwin — led by St. John's faculty using the same discussion-based, interdisciplinary method used in the undergraduate program.
Session options:
- In-person, Annapolis MD: three sessions in late June to mid-July
- In-person, Santa Fe NM: three sessions in early to late July
- Online: one four-day session in mid-June (four 2-hour daily sessions)
On-campus sessions are $1,400 per session; online sessions are $240 per session. On-campus sessions are open to ages 15-18, while online sessions are open to ages 14-18. The program integrates literature, philosophy, history, art, mathematics, and physics — no prior background in any subject is required. Students engage with the texts directly rather than through secondary sources or textbooks.