Norfolk Academy's academic program is comparably very strong. The school does not offer Advanced Placement classes, but students are encouraged to take AP exams after regular classes, and tend to do quite well, indicating that many of the regular academic programs are on par with Advanced Placement tracts at other schools. In general, this does not result in an incredibly competitive environment. Although all students want to achieve high grades, it is not at the expense of other students. Also, students are not ranked, so there is no pressure to "beat" another person, only yourself. NA provides a great writing background in particular for their students. Coming into college, I was shocked to find that some of my classmates had not written more than a few pages at a time in High School. Students are introduced to long (10-15 pg.) papers as Sophomores with a semester-long Wuthering Heights assignment that stresses the type of academic research that many students will not learn until college. Personally, I greatly enjoyed my History classes, and I think that the bonds that I made with my History teachers in High School probably resulted in my choice to be a History major in College. The school also offers access to higher level classes that comparable small schools might not be able to provide. The math department provides an advance track that results in students taking Calculus BC (most students take the comparable AP exam). Personally, I ended up with 8 college credits (4 for each Calculus I and II), something I would not have been able to achieve without the excellent teaching faculty in this department. There are also advance Science, Math, and Language classes, as well as elective History and English classes. On average, classes were between 15-20 students. There were exceptions to the rules- I had advanced Physics and Math classes with about 8 students, which really fostered learning. Still, even in large classes, teachers made a remarkable effort to get to know students. Both the Middle and Upper schools have periods (they used to be called "tutor bell") specifically designated for students to meet with teachers when everyone is free. I would often spend this time getting to know teachers beyond the classroom, although clubs would also meet. Additionally, students were given a faculty adviser, who they met with in a group setting for lunch once a week. At the time, I thought my workload was high, and it certainly was in comparison to my peers outside NA. Still, compared to college, it was nothing. It was not unheard of for me to finish my homework during my free period, although I would often have to bring things home with me. I would say I averaged about 1 hr a night, although I am a fast worker.