Salvatori Prize 2025
Seven Oaks Classical School has once again earned national recognition as a leader in the classical education movement. Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office has named Seven Oaks the winner of the 2025 Salvatori Prize for Excellence in Education, marking the second time the Monroe County public charter school has received this prestigious honor.
The Salvatori Prize is named for Henry Salvatori, an Italian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who believed deeply in the principles of liberty, limited government, and civic education. It is awarded by Hillsdale College, a nationally renowned liberal arts institution in Michigan whose K-12 Education Office supports a network of classical charter schools across the country. The prize is awarded annually to the school that best exemplifies the highest ideals of classical education and excellence in teaching. The award is open to both public and private institutions nationwide, and the review process considers school governance, leadership, curriculum, pedagogy, and culture.
Seven Oaks also won the Salvatori Prize in 2022, placing the school in rare company. This repeat recognition serves as a strong affirmation of the school’s continued progress in its mission of cultivating intellectual, moral, and civic virtue, according to Stephen Shipp, Headmaster of Seven Oaks Classical School. This year’s recognition includes a $40,000 award, a certificate of distinction, and the opportunity to be recognized at Hillsdale College events and conferences.
“We are deeply honored to be selected again for the Salvatori Prize,” said Shipp. “As a school, we are committed to continued growth toward excellence. The school has come a long way since 2022. This award is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff. It is also a recognition of the students and families who make up our community of learning and who share our mission of forming minds and hearts. The future of our country will be decided by whether schools and families like ours successfully plant and water the seeds of wisdom and virtue in the next generation.”
Founded in 2016, Seven Oaks Classical School now serves over 550 students, K-12, from Monroe County and surrounding areas. As a public charter school, it is tuition-free and open to all. Seven Oaks is a Hillsdale College Member School, a distinction that offers the school access to curriculum and training from the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office. The school’s curriculum offers steady instruction in classic literature, history, mathematics, science, and Latin, with a strong emphasis on writing, reasoning, and the fine arts. The school preserves the best traditional methods, including phonics. The school is known for its faculty-led instruction, orderly environment, and culture of respect, and gratitude. The school’s academic program is supplemented by a wide range of extracurriculars and a rapidly growing athletics program.
“We believe students flourish when held to high standards and when given a vision of the good,” said Shipp. “This award reaffirms that there is a hunger in our community for an education that calls students to excellence and that has a clear vision for the formation of the whole person.”
“I have had the privilege of visiting Seven Oaks over the years, including during its earliest days, when the school was still laying its foundation. Even then, one could sense that something uncommon and enduring was beginning to take root. During our most recent visit, however, it became abundantly clear: Seven Oaks has not only remained true to its founding mission—it has matured into a flourishing institution marked by courage, clarity, and joy,” said Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, Associate Vice President of K-12 Education at Hillsdale College.
Seven Oaks formally celebrated the award with an all school assembly, and its leadership will be honored at a national gathering of Hillsdale-affiliated schools in June.