Frequently Asked Questions - Sawgrass Adventist School

Sawgrass Adventist School students score above the national average in every subject on the MAP Assessment — ranking in the 72nd percentile in math, 74th percentile in reading, and 73rd percentile in language usage.

These results come from the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Assessment, a nationally normed standardized test used by schools across the United States. Scoring in the 72nd–74th percentile means SAS students are outperforming approximately 72–74% of students nationwide at their grade level — and SAS achieves this without teaching to the test. Instruction focuses on genuine learning and measurable growth, and the test results simply reflect it.

More than 70% of SAS teachers hold a master's degree or higher. The school employs 10 full-time education and administrative staff supported by 11 additional support staff and classroom aides — a team structure designed to allow genuinely individualized instruction across a student body intentionally capped at 180.

SAS is accredited by two independent bodies: the Accrediting Association of Adventist Schools (AAA) — an accrediting body approved by the Florida Association of Independent Schools — and the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS). These credentials verify academic quality, curriculum rigor, and institutional stability against established national standards.

As part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist education system — spanning more than 9,000 schools globally, including colleges and universities — SAS students benefit from a proven, internationally validated curriculum. Research shows Adventist school students consistently score one to two grade levels above peers on standardized assessments.

To learn more about academics at Sawgrass Adventist School, visit sawgrassadventist.com.

Sawgrass Adventist School meets every student exactly where they are — pushing high achievers beyond their grade level while providing targeted, structured support for students who need more time to master foundational skills.

No student at SAS is held back by a grade-level ceiling. Each school year begins with benchmark testing to assess exactly where each child stands academically, and an individualized learning plan is built from there. Advanced students are routinely placed one to two years ahead in math and reading. The SAS reading program carries no grade-level cap — a 5th grader reading at an 8th or 9th grade level works at that level without being held back. SAS does not level down; it levels up.

For students who need additional support, SAS maintains an active Title I program providing targeted math and reading intervention. A school-sponsored social-emotional counselor makes regular classroom visits and is available for student-specific needs. A second counselor from the Florida Conference Office of Education works directly with SAS students through the Navigate360 platform — a nationally recognized K–12 school safety and student wellness system used by schools and public safety agencies across the country.

With a student-teacher ratio of 14:1 — below the national average of 16:1 — and classroom caps of 20 students with 1.5 teachers per 16 students, no child at SAS disappears into the crowd. This is a direct contrast to Broward County public school classrooms that can exceed 35 students.

Every child God created arrives with a unique set of gifts. At Sawgrass Adventist School, the job is not to sort students into categories — it is to find where each one is, and move them forward from there.

Visit sawgrassadventist.com to schedule a tour and experience the SAS approach to personalized learning firsthand.

Sawgrass Adventist School equips every student with their own device — iPads for lower grades, laptops for upper grades — while deliberately balancing digital learning with traditional instruction through textbooks, handwriting practice, and live in-class discussion.

Every SAS classroom features a Promethean interactive panel for teacher-led instruction. Student devices are secured, content-filtered, and actively monitored for inappropriate use. For older students whose devices include messaging functionality, communications are monitored for language that may indicate self-harm or harm to others — a proactive safeguard that goes beyond basic content filtering.

SAS's technology philosophy is both forward-thinking and grounded: students are prepared for a world in which technology and AI are inescapable realities — but they are also taught when technology becomes a distraction, and what happens to critical thinking and personal capability when students lean on AI as a substitute rather than a tool. The school's position is clear: technology should serve the student, not replace the student's development.

This means SAS students still write by hand, work from physical textbooks, conduct independent research projects, and engage in real classroom conversation — alongside developing digital literacy and learning to use emerging tools responsibly. The goal is not screen-free; it is screen-smart.

All devices are covered under the annual $200 device fee in the school's fee schedule. The annual technology fee ($300) supports the infrastructure that keeps every device secured and monitored.

For parents who worry about all-day passive screen use in public school classrooms, SAS offers a balanced, intentional alternative with real accountability behind it.

Learn more at sawgrassadventist.com.