Saint Ursula Academy launched a new schedule benefiting its students in the 2025-2026 school year.
SUA is a leader in all-girls’ education in Cincinnati and is known for high academic achievement and results, as well as whole-person programming and support. Our schedule model is tailored to maintain high academic standards while creating opportunities for real-life experiences that set our students apart in the college search process.
An Overview
We spent years developing our unique schedule and included students, teachers, education leaders, and nationally recognized schedule experts in the process. We took our time to get it right.
The result: a schedule model that positions our students for the future, while providing life balance and many innovative opportunities for real hands-on experiences that will bring learning to life.
Proven Features and Why They Work 
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Students have 4 class bells per day (75 minutes each)
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Class times rotate, allowing each student and teacher to meet at their best time of the day during the week.
Clubs and organizations meet within the school day, avoiding conflicts with after-school activities and making it easy for girls to meet students with similar interests.
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Non-academic programming takes place during the school day, such as club and organization meetings, guest speakers, formational programming, and opportunities to grow in faith.
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Break times are built in, in addition to lunch, for a mid-day pause/breather.
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Most days, school begins at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. A few extra minutes of sleep support students' overall wellness.
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Most courses run the length of the school year, rather than just one semester. This prevents gaps in the continuity of learning in subjects like math and language, which continue to build on previous content.
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End-of-course timing is ideal for AP’s, as the courses naturally wrap up just prior to the universal AP testing dates, giving each student the greatest opportunity to achieve her best score.
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We have six bells and an additional wellness bell that will run across the fall and spring semesters. The wellness bell fills an actual class period and is in addition to the morning and lunch breaks.
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We hold a “minimester” at the end of each semester.
What is a Minimester?
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Students take two (2) minimesters a year, one in December and one in May
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Each minimester earns a half credit, totaling one full credit each school year.
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The minimester class is an experiential learning course that runs 12 consecutive school days. Teachers have developed more than 60 minimester course options from which students can choose.
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One of the minimester's main features is experiential learning, a highly effective learning strategy where students learn by doing and have time to reflect on their learning.
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By nature, experiential learning is hands-on, project-based, and interactive. DO NOT think that you will be sitting in a traditional classroom doing traditional learning activities all day.
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Some of your learning activities will take place on campus, and some of the learning activities will take advantage of SUA's proximity to some really amazing places to visit.
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We believe the minimester gives students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they are learning to real-life situations and gives them an advantage when applying to college because they are bringing real-world experience with them.
The Results
We have strong data to support this schedule model and believe it not only adds a new level of excellence to the academic and school engagement experience but will also help Saint Ursula students stand out in the college admissions process.
Below is a breakdown of the 2025-2026 minimesters, by the numbers.