At Chesapeake Bay Academy, our academic programs are based on a philosophy that recognizes the uniqueness of every student. Learning differences are seen as opportunities, not obstacles. Working together, teachers and administrators create an individualized academic plan that identifies each student’s strengths to be developed, and most importantly, targets areas where a student may need special support and encouragement. To accomplish this, our instructors use individualized teaching methods to match teaching styles to individual learning styles. Teachers vary their instructional strategies, using creative techniques and one-on-one instruction to help students reach their highest potential both academically and socially.

Throughout each step in a student’s journey towards their goals from Lower to Upper schools, our philosophy empowers and nurtures them, helping the transition to the next level of learning. In the Lower and Middle Schools, a combination of direct instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, social and learning skills, and positive reinforcement in a caring and safe environment, creates the foundation for a student's success. In the Upper School, our accredited, SOL-based curriculum is combined with targeted reading and writing support classes to help fulfill their goals, and transition successfully to college, the workplace, or both.

In every division, our positive student-teacher relationships are the key to the learning experience; our instructors share a personal commitment to support each student socially and emotionally. In the Lower School, the classroom teacher directs and monitors a student's progress and day-to-day performance. As they transition into our Middle and Upper schools, they are nurtured by our Advocate Program, where teachers meet daily with a small group of students. Every teacher serves an advocate, a mentor, and most importantly, a personal champion.

CBA is the only K -12 school in Southeastern Virginia licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) and Other Health Impairment (OHI) and accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.