On behalf of the Eagle Ridge Academy Board of Directors, welcome to the 2025–2026 school year. Please see Board officers below. Additional Board members include Sam Sundermeyer (Teacher Member), Jonathan Good (Teacher Member), Lisa Johnson (Teacher Member), Surendra Kanneganti (Parent Member), and Jason Ulbrich (Executive Director). Board officer and member bios can be found on the Board page. Board officers hold positions for one academic year.

Select members of the Board of Directors and Administrative team will be available virtually, 5:30-6:00 p.m. for members of the Eagle Ridge Academy community to discuss questions and/or concerns that may not be included in the regular agenda meeting for the month.

Following the Listening Session, the Board of Directors will convene in Eagle Ridge Academy Conference Room 1114, 6:00-9:00 p.m. to discuss items on the month’s regular meeting agenda. No official decisions will be made at this workshop. You may attend School Board Workshops in person or virtually via the information here.

Celebrating Academic Excellence

We are proud to share that our students continue to achieve at the very highest level. The 2025 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) results place Eagle Ridge Academy in the 98th percentile statewide in both reading and math.

Our success is not only seen in overall performance but also in the way students across key demographics are closing gaps and excelling:

• English Language Learners outperformed the state by 31.5% in math and 22% in reading.

• Black and African American students outperformed the state by 26.1% in math and 15.9% in reading.

• Asian students exceeded state averages by 48.7% in math and 36.4% in reading.

• Students receiving Special Education services outperformed all students statewide by 4.8% in math and 6.6% in reading.

• Students qualifying for free and reduced lunch not only narrowed the gap in English Language Arts but also surpassed the state average in math.

We are especially encouraged that students who have been with ERA for three or more years consistently demonstrate higher levels of proficiency than those newer to the Academy. This confirms what we know to be true: the longer that students are immersed in a rigorous Classical education at ERA, the stronger their academic outcome.

College and Career Readiness

In addition to MCA success, our high school students continue to excel on nationally recognized measures:

• ACT: ERA students averaged a score of 25.5 over the last four years — six points above the national average of 19.4 and five points above the state average of 20.7.

• AP Exams: In 2024, 275 exams were taken by 40% of eligible ERA students, with an 87.5% pass rate.

• Graduation & College Acceptance: ERA maintains a 95% graduation rate and a 100% college acceptance rate, with scholars attending prestigious colleges and universities across the nation.

Looking Ahead

While we celebrate these achievements, we remain focused on what matters most: the formation of both intellect and character. This year, we will continue to strengthen academic programming, support student growth across all grade levels, and foster a joyful, thriving school community rooted in truth, beauty, and goodness.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Together, we will make this another year of extraordinary learning and flourishing at Eagle Ridge Academy.

Each student in attendance will receive one reimbursable breakfast and one reimbursable lunch per day at no cost to the child. Additional meals and à la carte items can be purchased for an additional cost. See all food service information here.

Registration for grades K-12 fall activities and grades K-8 athletics is now open. View the activities and athletics informational flyer and sign up today here for K-2 Hooked on Books Club, K-12 Chess Club,1-2/3-4/5-8 Impart Art Club, 1-4 Homework Help, 3-4 Choir Club, 4-8 Life Hackers, 5-12 Yearbook, 6-12 Fall Play, 7-12 Creative Cinematics, 9-12 Math Team, K-4 Gryphon Youth Soccer, 3-6 Gryphon Youth Cross Country, 5-8 Boys Soccer, and 5-8 Volleyball.

Eagle Ridge Academy views parents and students as integral contributors and active participants in our school. The Academy is most successful when parents and students work together with the teachers and staff to create and sustain the best possible learning environment. We have many opportunities for engagement and volunteerism at Eagle Ridge Academy. Throughout the year we invite you to share your time and talents. Complete the Give Us 5 Volunteer Pledge, then browse ongoing volunteer opportunities and sign up today. Thank you for helping build community!

The fundamental framework of our Classical education is divided into three stages: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. Kindergarten through Grade 4 falls under the label “Grammar.” In the grammar stage, children learn the rules and concepts of letters, words, numbers, etc. to ensure that they are best able in the older grades to grapple with rich content in a sophisticated manner. In our grammar stage, it is commonly noted that children learn the ‘building blocks’ of knowledge and skills. Without these building blocks in the grammar stage, deepened knowledge and refined skills later on become difficult to acquire.

Our Eagle Ridge Academy mission states that we, as a Classical community, demand “their best in academic achievement and honorable character...” Part of this demand is also a demand on ourselves – to ensure that our students learn and develop according to what is known about the psychology and science of learning. What we know about this is that students (and people in general) learn in that classical framework: grammar, logic, and finally rhetoric. Starting our students out at the grammar level provides them with a solid foundation for their life-long learning, building them up to attain their highest potential.

Join the Eagle Ridge Academy PTO at Rockin' the Ridge, ERA's annual fall fundraising carnival! From 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 4, grades K-4 and families can enjoy carnival games, bingo, face painting, bounce houses, henna, a photo booth, tattoo station, glamour nail booth, and crazy hair fun at Eagle Ridge Academy. Earn tickets from games and trade them in for prizes at our well-stocked prize central.

Join the fun and support our school community! Learn more about Rockin' the Ridge here. Sign up to volunteer at Rockin' the Ridge here. Note: This is not a drop-off event—children must be accompanied by an adult. Unlimited fun wristbands are available for $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Unlimited bounce house access will cost $5. Ten-game punch cards will cost $5.

Indulge your cravings with cookies, Culver's ice cream sundaes, AMC popcorn, lemonade, sno cones, and food trucks. Hungry for something more substantial? Preorder a whole pizza on the PTO online store for $13 or pick one up at the event for $15. Single slices and a meal deal (2 slices and a drink) will also be available.

Each year, we begin our time together as a staff with community building. Like last year, the staff separated into groups to help serve in different ways around the school. While it was just an afternoon, the impact was significant. From the laughs and smiles the time together brought to the gratefulness of those who benefited from these acts of service, it was the perfect way to kick off the year. For those hours, the building, the grounds, and even an adopted segment of road was buzzing with a true demonstration of the pillars. It is the same energy and goodness we look to carry into the year with all our stakeholders–staff, students, and parents alike. We hope you will join us throughout the year as we come together to support each other for the good of the school. Catch a glimpse of some of the projects below–from helping our custodial crew, to writing welcome notes for new students, to grounds cleaning, we had a blast!