Academics at the Academy

Rooted in the Western canon, the Academy’s classically based core curriculum serves as a foundation for the critical thinking skills needed for an in-depth study of the humanities and sciences. Through the perspective in classical thought, students learn how to question what they read; how to talk and write about primary texts; how to craft a well-reasoned argument; and how to appreciate the connections of literature, political theory, philosophy, religion, science, and history. Classes focus on debate of the why and how questions. Additionally, all students study two years of either Latin or ancient Greek to learn the foundations of language, as well as to read the primary texts, which serve as the backbone of the Academy’s liberal arts curriculum and the English language. These studies then prepare our students for the diversity of courses of study available to them at the University, where they can follow their interests in such passions as comparative religion, East European languages, or African history.

“The Academy offers a lot to its students – clubs, activities, sports, university lectures, art, music, to name a few – but at the end of the day, we all agree that the academic work is really what they’re here to do.”

Academy students first acquire a broad and coherent foundation before they explore more specialized intellectual interests. Ninth and tenth grade students follow a liberal arts curriculum that includes English, history, science, mathematics, Greek or Latin, the arts, and physical education.

In their junior and senior years, students continue to take courses offered by the Academy, and they also begin to take University classes earning as many as forty college credits (or the equivalent of twelve college courses) prior to graduating. Juniors typically enroll in biology and a modern language at the University, while seniors’ selections vary widely. Hundreds of course offerings make it possible for students to build upon the liberal arts foundation developed at the Academy.