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Western Reserve Academy has been consistently ranked high among the nation's top boarding and day schools. 100 percent of our graduates go on to attend 4-year colleges or universities, many at the most selective schools in the world. Architectural Digest named WRA the most beautiful private school in Ohio. While we are proud of these accolades, we are more interested in your dreams and aspirations.
Take a spin around our viewbook to learn more about Reserve.
The Reserve Advantage
That's what it means to be at a boarding school. From the moment you step on WRA's campus, you'll notice something different. Our residential tradition means care is everywhere. And our Midwestern style exudes warmth. We also have a cozy downtown right at our doorstep so you're just seconds away from coffee shops, restaurants and making memories with your friends.
WRA is a place where opportunities to dream, achieve and contribute surround every student. Our beautiful galleries, stages and athletic facilities are the backdrop for culture, camaraderie and competition. Our connections to causes in our community and beyond invite Pioneers to make a difference, not for the sake of putting points on the board for college, but instead to leave permanent marks in their hearts and minds.
We are the first school in our region to move beyond Advanced Placement courses, ending the need to teach to the test and offering more immersive courses we call College Level. We're the only high school that offers cancer immunology courses and our students conduct research at Case Western University and the Cleveland Clinic. We've also been named the best school in the state for STEM, thanks to our Wang Innovation Center, a 6,000-square-foot, hands-on, high-tech idea incubator.
Pioneering Stories
Sara
Sara pioneered a company, and a life, designed to give back.
Sara Wroblewski is proving that you don't have to wait to be a certain age to be a leader. The Founder of One Bead, a company she started in her college dorm room with the help of a Reserve classmate, gives students access to leadership programming through the profits generated from sales of glass-bead jewelry handmade in Nairobi, Kenya. Reserve alumni have gone on to great destinations — in college, careers and life. But as they move forward, we are proudest of their passion for giving back.
Andrew
Andrew pioneered a new definition of courage.
Seven years ago, when doctors diagnosed Andrew with a rare bone cancer, they told him he'd never play a contact sport again. Three years ago, he had his leg amputated at the knee. Last year - with intense physical therapy and even more intense determination - he strapped on a Pioneer football helmet and proved them wrong. At WRA, we encourage our students to work to overcome their challenges. Andrew's work inspires us all.
Darby
Darby pioneered a campus weather station. And her future.
Darby Johnson has always had her head in the clouds. But the WRA grad is far from absent-minded — she’s had a lifelong passion for weather. At WRA, her science teacher encouraged her to construct a campus weather station. “It’s something I never would have had an opportunity to do, unless I came to this school,” says Darby. The experience is serving her well at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she’s studying meteorology. For Darby, and all of our alumni working hard toward their dreams, the future looks bright and sunny.
Katie
Katie pioneered a new level of confidence.
When Katie Ly arrived at WRA, shyness often kept her from speaking up in class. But when she discovered dance, her confidence began to grow. As she became more aware of her body’s movement, she started to walk taller, more assured. And she opened up in class. At WRA, every student is encouraged to discover outlets for self-expression on their path to developing the confidence to excel in the world ahead. Katie is taking all the right steps.
Dr. Lisabeth Robinson
Dr. Robinson pioneered a place to talk about race.
As issues of race continue to make national headlines, Dr. Lisabeth Robinson saw a need to address this important subject. She helped WRA students launch “Race Space,” a series of open discussions on race, injustice and privilege. These kinds of forums, common in colleges, are part of the everyday fabric at our high school. At WRA, we invite students to think critically about the world’s most significant issues, in the most supportive environment. It’s why they are so well prepared to make a difference in the world ahead.
Paul
Paul is pioneering innovations for kids with autism, like his brother.
For Paul Schumacher, Western Reserve Academy’s Compass course was more than a chance to pursue real-world self-study. It was a chance to change the lives of kids with autism. After witnessing his brother’s struggles with overstimulation, he designed a sensory space at a local school to calm students with autism. And he’s launched a start-up company to do even more. At WRA, students are encouraged to push their own boundaries in a supportive environment. Paul’s project is helping kids with autism do the same.
Dr. Robert Aguilar
Dr. Aguilar and his students are pioneering vaccines for cancer.
WRA biology teacher Dr. Robert Aguilar was integrally involved in breakthrough discoveries at Cleveland Clinic that could become the first-ever vaccine to prevent breast cancer. Now he’s working on a similar vaccine for testicular cancer, inviting his students to contribute to the research. At WRA, the opportunities to pioneer are as diverse as the imagination. We can’t wait to see where your imagination will lead you.
Adjoa
Adjoa is pioneering her own path to success, through songwriting.
For Adjoa, music is everywhere. She’s performed in seven school musicals. She’s a singer, a guitarist and a songwriter. She even writes songs to aid in memorization. Her passion for music has found many outlets at WRA. But she’s also a swimmer, and plays field hockey and lacrosse. In college, she’s planning to study music. And computer science. Our students often find labels too limiting. And we believe there is no limit to what they can achieve.
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