Private Day & Boarding School in Oregon

Delphian School:
Delphian School is a premiere, co-educational, nondenominational and nonsectarian, independent day and boarding school in Sheridan, Yamhill County, Oregon (located 60 miles southwest of Portland in the scenic Willamette Valley). We offer a full K-12 program with a complete curriculum in each school (Lower School, Elementary School, Middle School, Upper School), with approximately 240 students enrolled and 55 members of the teaching faculty. Day students are accepted from the age of 5 through 18 and boarding students from the age of 10 through 18. We also offer a highly-regarded English as a Second Language (ESL) program for international students, and summer camps.

Delphian School’s mission is to empower young people with effective study skills, a solid academic foundation, a strong sense of personal integrity, and a wide range of abilities. More broadly, its mission is to send forth responsible, capable individuals who can help build a better world.

Accreditation:
Delphian School is a member of the Oregon Federation of Independent Schools, an accredited Member of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS), The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Western Boarding Schools Association (WBSA), and an accredited member school of the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC).

Delphian does not have any religious affiliation, and is accepting students of all faiths.

Our community is made up of people from various religious backgrounds. For example, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Taoists have all been or are part of our international community. In order our diverse community to work and live well together, community members do not proselytize their faiths. In coordination with each child's parents, Delphian School helps arrange transportation to local churches, synagogues or temples on days of worship as required by a student's individual religious practice.

Delphian School offers a well-rounded college preparatory academic program. The Delphian curriculum has a strong emphasis on practical learning and covers the full spectrum of core academic subjects: math, science, literature, languages, history, and the arts.

Students also focus on ethics and integrity, life skills, leadership, computer technology, and physical education. They can also choose from an expansive selection of elective courses. 

In addition, we offer English as a Second Language (ESL) programs & summer programs to both U.S. and international students.


What makes Delphian School different?
Here you won’t sit passively in your seat while your teacher lectures at the front of the classroom. Our students are much more actively engaged.

For starters, you will develop your own program within the core curriculum with guidance from your academic supervisor (the teacher who most closely monitors your progress) and a curriculum specialist. Of course, our faculty are there to provide the needed structure and support, but ultimately, the responsibility for learning lies with you.

You’ll build upon your knowledge as you move through your courses. Along the way, you’ll become an independent learner.

Practical experience is central to learning at Delphian. All students are involved in relevant, hands-on experiences that reinforce their studies every day. These range from building clay models and conducting experiments to field trips, internships, and apprenticeships. Every course has hands-on, practical requirements that assist a student in connecting what he’s learning to how it can be used in the real world.

Trips and internships or apprenticeships are popular ways our students gain practical experience beyond campus. Business seminar participants travel annually to such cities as New York, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Students have gone on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, met with the co-founder of MySpace, and discussed market trends with Fidelity Investments’ Director of Market Research. They’ve talked television program development with the CEO of Fox and interviewed an Oscar-winning writer and director.

Students have interned in television production at the entertainment news program Extra; with the editorial staff at HR Magazine; in hotel management at Spirit Mountain Lodge; and in local hospitals, accounting firms, and construction companies.

A well-rounded education requires more than a focus on core subjects like math, English, science, and history. Arts and athletics are also important components. That’s why each afternoon, Delphian students take part in a wide variety of elective activities outside the classroom.

We refer to these regularly scheduled afternoon classes as “co-curricular” as they include subjects we consider essential to acquiring a full education. All Delphian students are required to participate in elective afternoon classes.

Co-Curricular Activities:
Co-curricular activities may include: music, art, pottery, drama, choir, computers, creative writing, video production, photography, woodshop, yoga, weightlifting, and a variety of interscholastic sports such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball and tennis.

Music and the arts are tremendously popular here. Our Upper School Choirs – varsity, junior varsity, and jazz – attract nearly 100 students each year to their ranks. (The Elementary and Middle Schools have their own choirs as well.) There’s also an instrumental jazz combo and plenty of individual music lesson options.

Courses in drawing, painting, photography, pottery, and sculpting provide plenty of opportunities for artistic expression. The Upper School Drama Department stages two major productions each year, while their Middle School counterparts take to the stage annually. And when you visit campus, you just might stumble upon a student-produced video shoot. Our Audio/Visual lab and courses keep Delphian’s budding directors, screenwriters, editors, and performers constantly at work.

Sports:
We offer varsity and junior varsity teams in baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. Many of our teams go on to district or state championship competition. And if team sports aren’t generally your thing, there are plenty of individual activities to keep you moving, including yoga, running, hiking, and winter snowboarding and skiing trips.

Volunteer Programs:
Delphian students spend time tutoring in local schools, visiting with (and performing for) residents of local retirement communities, participating in park and neighborhood clean-ups, and joining Habitat for Humanity building projects.