A Unique Year-Long Online Finishing School for High School Students
Named after Benjamin Disraeli’s profound political novel, Coningsby Academy embodies the spirit of transformation and social awareness that the former British Prime Minister championed. Our institution is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and changemakers.
Our Mission
At Coningsby Academy, we recognize a critical gap in modern education. While traditional high schools excel in academic subjects, they often overlook the essential soft skills and cultural knowledge that are crucial for success in higher education and beyond. Our program is meticulously designed to bridge this gap, offering a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on personal development, social graces, and intellectual growth.
The Pressing Need for Coningsby Academy
While private high schools around the globe boast strong academics and offer a wide variety of clubs, these schools often fail to cultivate the knowledge and sensibilities essential for leading academically and socially during and after college. Coningsby Academy bridges this divide.
The Academic Need
The best high schools give students the tools to work on the world but not on themselves. Assignments, such as the International Baccalaureate’s Personal Project, invite students to demonstrate how effective they are at producing progress in the external world. Yet while these schools often excel in helping our children achieve high grades and awards, they often fail to couple student achievement with learning that transforms character. Coningsby believes that true greatness depends on personal decency.
Our Academy seeks to fill this learning gap. World-class faculty will guide students through a curriculum, rich in classical substance as well as contemporary cultural knowledge: the kind of knowledge needed to truly lead in today’s world. Indeed, Coningsby offers a multifaceted learning experience that will intellectually transform our students, differentiating them as they prepare to enter undergraduate life, while equipping them to navigate the world’s most prestigious circles. While experiencing the Coningsby Curriculum, students will not only learn to speak confidently about classical culture; they will cultivate an authentic appreciation for classical art and music. Students will also read the Great Books while engaging in small-group Socratic discussions with outstanding experts, honing their capacity for charitable yet serious debate. Coningsby’s Great Books tutorials, coupled with our outstanding cultural appreciation method, will empower students to operate as confident leaders within collegiate seminars, clubs, and debate societies.
The Social Need
Our private high schools invite students to cultivate values like inclusivity, empathy, justice, and care for the environment. While these values have merit, they do little to prepare students to care for those around them through concrete behaviors and habits. Coningsby offers robust training in etiquette and social graces, focusing on the habits of hospitality, generosity, and civility. Our curriculum dedicates space for students to practice the refinement needed to differentiate themselves at lunches, dinner parties, gallery openings, and other social occasions. Coningsby students will develop more than a mere technical familiarity with the art of etiquette; our curriculum will invite students to explore and cultivate the deeper virtues underlying gracious conduct.
A Glance at the Coningsby Curriculum
Coningsby’s unparalleled curriculum offers much-needed academic and social formation for students, truly differentiating them as they prepare to enter college. Our curriculum offers:
- A supportive Academy culture
- Year-long access to our world-class learning platform
- Flexible, individualized faculty guidance
- A selective, five-person inaugural class
- One-on-one mentoring from world-class faculty
- A substantive curriculum
- Small group Great Books discussions
- Classical art and music appreciation sessions
- Practical training in social engagement with the modern fine arts
- An emphasis on etiquette
- Focused etiquette training
- Experience in leadership and fundraising
- Engagement with the real world
- Live assignments to demonstrate in-class learning
- Expert guidance on the world of sport
- Formative fundraising experiences
Exceptional Faculty
Our instructors are more than teachers; they are mentors and guides. Led by Madeleine Foster, our Dean of Students and Curriculum, and handpicked for their expertise and passion, our faculty includes accomplished academics, industry leaders, and cultural icons who are committed to nurturing each student’s potential. Click here to learn more abut our Dean of Students and Curriculum, Madeleine Foster, and our faculty.
Personalized Attention
With an inaugural class of only 5 students, Coningsby Academy offers an unparalleled level of personalized attention. Each student receives one-on-one mentoring, ensuring that their individual needs and aspirations are met.
Program Details
- Duration: September 2024–April 2025
- Cost: Contact Us (includes all materials and access to our proprietary learning platform)
- Format: Online, with interactive sessions, practical assignments, and real-world projects
The program fee covers comprehensive support, including:
- One-on-one mentoring sessions
- Tailored assignments and practical to-dos
- Personal development planning
- Ongoing guidance and feedback
Accessing the Transformative Coningsby Experience
Upon graduating from Coningsby, our students will have acquired critical knowledge and skills, truly differentiating them from their peers as they prepare for college. Students will also receive the social formation necessary not only to inhabit elite settings with confidence, but to lead their peers both during and after college. Our supportive Academy culture, coupled with our substantive curriculum and belief in real-world learning will empower our students to become our world’s next leaders. To seek entry into our transformative program, candidates must apply to Coningsby Academy by September 5.