At Pine Crest, entrepreneurship begins with a mindset. From pre-kindergarten through grade 12, students develop the curiosity, ingenuity, resilience and initiative to recognize opportunities, navigate challenges and turn ideas into purposeful action.
Our PK–12 social entrepreneurship curriculum integrates entrepreneurial thinking across disciplines through design thinking, research, collaboration and problem-solving. Students learn to understand the needs of others, explore challenges from multiple perspectives and develop solutions that create meaningful value.
Building an Entrepreneurial Mindset, PK–12
- Lower School: In Lower School, students build the foundation by asking questions, testing ideas, collaborating with others and discovering that setbacks can lead to better solutions.
- Middle School: In Middle School, students apply these habits to increasingly complex, real-world challenges. They investigate problems, prototype solutions, communicate their ideas and learn to adapt through feedback and iteration.
- Upper School: By Upper School, students are prepared to connect entrepreneurial thinking with innovation, ethics, emerging technology, leadership and social impact.
Social Impact Through Entrepreneurship (SITE)
A semester-long course required for ninth grade students. The course explores how entrepreneurship can drive meaningful social impact by blending ethical decision-making, legal frameworks and design thinking with practical strategies for addressing pressing societal challenges. Students build the skills and mindset needed to lead meaningful change in a rapidly evolving world through collaboration, creative problem-solving and critical thinking.
In addition, Social Impact Through Entrepreneurship (SITE) establishes a shared foundation in entrepreneurial thinking. Students explore branding, marketing and ethics while developing an idea from concept to final pitch.
Through FIRST COURSE, students also participate in a professional dining and etiquette experience, building the interpersonal and communication skills that help them confidently share ideas, develop relationships and navigate professional settings.
Three Years of Social Entrepreneurship
Beginning in ninth grade, students may apply to Pine Crest's signature three-year Social Entrepreneurship Program, an interdisciplinary experience that challenges students to identify meaningful problems and develop innovative, sustainable solutions.
Students explore opportunity recognition, team dynamics, business modeling, finance, branding, marketing, prototyping, customer discovery and leadership while considering the social and ethical dimensions of entrepreneurship. Learning extends beyond the classroom through sustained mentorship, internships, competitions and global experiences, giving students opportunities to test their thinking, refine their ideas and engage with entrepreneurs and industry leaders. Throughout the program, students develop the resilience, adaptability and entrepreneurial mindset to recognize opportunities for change and confidently move ideas into action.
Social entrepreneurship asks students to look beyond their own experiences to understand challenges through a global lens. Through international partnerships and immersive learning, Pine Crest students exchange perspectives, learn from entrepreneurs and experts around the world and discover how ideas can be shaped by culture, context and community. Our partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE) brings that philosophy to life, connecting entrepreneurial thinking with global experience and real-world application.
Learn more about Pine Crest's partnership with the London School of Economics
