New school St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJA Jeju) is expected to open on Oct. 23, 2017 as planned.
SJA Jeju will be the fourth school to open in the Global Education City (JGEC) on Jeju Island, Korea joining Korea International School Jeju, Branksome Hall Asia, and North London Collegiate School Jeju in the area.

Photo courtesy SJA Jeju

According to the Sept. 24 news release by Jeju Free International Development Center (Chairperson Lee Kwang-hee), SJA Jeju is set to open by finalizing all the required approval processes from the Ministry of Education and related authorities of Jeju education.

The news release also says that on Sept. 22 SJA Jeju was finally given the approval to enroll students as an international school for Fall 2017 by the Jeju Provincial Office of Education.

Photo courtesy SJA Jeju

At full capacity, St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju will be able to recruit 1,254 students in 68 classes from grades Pre-K3 to 12. This will include 540 elementary students (including Kindergarten), 290 middle school students, and 424 high school students. In Fall 2017 this year, 498 students from grades PK to 10 will be enrolled at SJA Jeju.

SJA Jeju will pursue an authentic American schooling environment by bringing the program, culture, and philosophy of its homeschool to students in Jeju. However, in spite of its association with St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, SJA Jeju will be very much its own school and there will be obvious differences as well. For instance, for Korean students, Korean language and social studies (history) will be mandatory subjects and their high school education will be regarded in Korea.

In an interview with the Jeju Weekly in May this year, Barbara Lonczak, SJA Jeju Director of Admissions, explained how the two cultures will combine. At SJA Jeju “you will have the American independent school mindset and methodology, combined with the Korean sensibilities of history, family, and culture.”

Founded in 1942, the home school, St. Johnsbury Academy is a 175-year-old independent school located in Vermont, USA with a high school program for Grade 9 through 12.

-Address : 148 Edu city-ro, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province , 63644, Korea

- Tel : 064-793-7715 | Fax : 064-792-7715 | Email : contact@sjajeju.kr