Mission

Mission Statement

Portsmouth Abbey School helps young men and women grow in knowledge and grace.  As a Benedictine boarding and day school committed to excellence, we embrace the Catholic faith while nurturing reverence for God and the human person, love of learning, and commitment to community life.

Vision Statement

Catholic means universal, and we welcome students from all backgrounds, as Jesus was welcoming to all people. We affirm that each person is made in the image and likeness of God, and is endowed with inherent human dignity and infinite worth. We believe God is at the center of the human search for meaning, and the perennial questions asked by our students—who am I? what is goodness? how am I to live?— find their answers in God. We assist our students in their search for God as the foundation of their lives. We seek student growth in grace: the regenerative power of Christ that lifts hearts and transforms lives.

“Love of learning and the desire for God” are joined in the Benedictine tradition. Love of learning is grounded in wonder, undertaken in humility, and fueled by the hunger for truth. Our students are called to a close reading of classic texts and critical engagement with the written word. Our research-driven science program enables students to be keen observers of the world around them. We foster engagement in fine arts and athletics as key dimensions of human excellence. Education in the Catholic intellectual tradition forms us in the things that matter: truth, goodness, and beauty.

Our shared life of study, prayer, and recreation sustains a community characterized by friendship and joy. Called to live in mutual service to each other, we seek the growth of our members as individuals, while advancing the common good. We nurture the talents of each of our students for energetic leadership and service in our own community and throughout the world.

Read the Alumni Bulletin article (Summer 2021) "On Mission: Revisiting Portsmouth Abbey School's Guiding Document" by Mary Beth Klee, Ph. D., here.