Upper School

During the upper school years, our students make deep connections with their teachers and their peers. They become part of a tight-knit community committed to learning and discovering their talents and passion.

Latin students actively shape their academic program. The upper school curriculum begins with everything you would expect in a college preparatory high school—literature and history surveys, biology, chemistry, physics, algebra, calculus, geometry, language. But Latin takes it a step beyond. We offer our students exceptional educational opportunities and ask them to dig deep, think critically and commit themselves to fully pursuing their intellectual passions both inside and outside the classroom.

Latin’s educational approach is student- centered and individualized. By understanding how each child learns best, our teachers help students identify their passions and take on new challenges.

Latin students love learning. They are encouraged to do, to create, to try and to fail. The focus is on the process, not the outcome, which helps students build resilience, remain intrinsically motivated and succeed.

When students are conscious and proactive about learning, it provokes a more personal response to engaging with the material.

seeing stars

The upper school Advanced Acting Company class performed the play “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson during the 2018-19 school year. This true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, whose quest to measure the distance of stars begins at Harvard Observatory and ends up changing our understanding of the universe.

Advanced Acting Company is made up of juniors and seniors who have taken classes in the upper school acting curriculum. The course culminates in a production fully produced and managed by students. With the rehearsal process embedded into class time throughout the semester, it allows the cast and crew to delve deeper into the play, spending more time on script and character analysis, ensemble building and dramaturgy, while also providing students opportunities to oversee behind-the-scenes work like costume and makeup design.

At Latin, I value the project-based learning where students are able to take their own interests outside of school and bring them into the classroom and share their passions with others authentically.

Experience Academic Excellence

A Wide Variety of Courses and Innovative Elective

We offer more than 160 courses each year.

Small Classes

Small class size encourages continual interaction and sharing of ideas.

average class size: 14
student-to-faculty ratio is 8:1

Strong Teacher/Student Relationships

Teachers are passionate about their subject areas and are available to students inside and outside the classroom.

Freedom to Pursue a Passion and Create Your Own Class.

If you have a passion for languages, for instance, you can double up. Take French and Chinese, Latin or Spanish for example.

Students can develop independent study courses where they work one-on-one with a faculty member on a self-designed curriculum.

I understood the value of this education first hand when I went off to college. My persistence and strong desire to learn and connect with my professors was a reflection of the close relationships I made with my teachers at Latin.

Experiential Learning

Learning at Latin is experiential and project-based, including simulations, mock trials and hands-on lab work.

Examples of experiential learning:

Antigone performance for Global Cities
tenth grade Nuremberg Trials simulation
senior projects
Project Week

Explore our curriculum

I love the way that Latin accepts everyone. No matter race, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc., Latin is always accepting and welcoming to everyone.

Latin emphasizes self-advocacy and empowers students to ask questions and explore, not to study and regurgitate answers.

I chose to become a student at Latin because I am interested in a wide range of topics that expand far beyond the traditional academics curriculum, and Latin has fulfilled that expectation vey well.

FAQ

How do you support students new to the school?
How are parents kept apprised of their child’s progress?
There are so many course possibilities! How do students choose what is best for them?
What is Latin’s schedule?
How big are classes?
How many AP courses does Latin offer?
Do students have the opportunity to focus on one specific area of study?
Can students receive college credit for work done at Latin?
What opportunities for leadership exist for my child?

How do you support students new to the school?

Our goal is to make new students feel at home before they have even started at Latin. In the spring before 9th grade, we hold a course registration information session for students and families. A two-day orientation is held in August for 9th grade students which provides opportunities to learn important transition information and team-build. At the beginning of the school year, all classes go on retreats to foster bonds between students. In addition, Latin’s very active advisory system ensures that every student has an adult who they can go to.

As a ninth grader, each student is assigned an advisor who provides a home base focused on fostering connection, developing peer relationships, and reflecting on community programming and topics. An advisor acts as an advocate for their advisees, serving as the primary contact for families and a bridge between students and faculty/staff/administration. Advisees follow with the same advisor during their four years of high school.

How are parents kept apprised of their child’s progress?

We view parents as partners in their child’s education. So, our teachers are committed to being accessible to parents via e-mail and phone. Beyond individual conversations, there is frequent communication between school and home: students receive two sets of narrative report cards at the end of first and third quarters. In addition, we hold parent-teacher conferences and parent-advisor conferences.

There are so many course possibilities! How do students choose what is best for them?

Students work closely with their dean of students, advisor, and faculty to determine the best course of study. A four-year planning guide is provided to students to help navigate the best course of study based on interest and future academic plans. Family meetings with the dean of students are offered every year to develop an individualized plan with each student and family.

What is Latin’s schedule?

Our schedule operates on an eight-day rotation, with each day having one 90-minute block and five 50-minute blocks. On each of the eight days, students will have a different rotation of classes so that all classes will be equally distributed among the time slots to suit every type of learner. Every student will have short morning and afternoon breaks as well as lunch everyday.

How big are classes?

Small! A freshman Global Cities class may have 16 students in it, and then an English elective such as African American Literature may have five. In our Independent Studies Program, students work one-on-one with a faculty member on a self-designed program for a semester.

How many AP courses does Latin offer?

Each year we offer a dozen or more AP courses. At the same time, honors classes and electives generally cover material that is on the Advanced Placement Exams. So, even though we do not offer Advanced Placement courses in our English program, our English classes do provide college-level content and many of our students sit for the English APs.

Do students have the opportunity to focus on one specific area of study?

Sure. Once students, generally juniors or seniors, have completed all of their graduation requirements, they (with the guidance of their advisor) can choose to concentrate on subjects that they are passionate about, whether those are the arts, sciences, languages, or English.

Can students receive college credit for work done at Latin?

Our students do sometimes receive college credit for courses they have taken. More importantly, many of our alumni come back to tell us that what they learned at Latin has made their college experience so much easier because they are accustomed to college-level content, discussion, and expectations.

What opportunities for leadership exist for my child?

There are many! Students can participate and lead student-run programs such as Latin’s Initiative for Ethics (LIFE). There are more than 40 clubs and student organizations including the student newspaper and yearbook. We also foster leadership through our athletic and academic teams as well as our community outreach efforts.