Upper School

In the Upper School, grades 9 through 12, students cross the threshold from childhood into the adult world. With their futures in mind, Tatnall's Upper School faculty design courses and schedules based on a small, liberal arts college model. They hold students to the highest standards of a college preparatory education-analytical reading, fluid writing and critical thinking-integrated with the most current technology available. All students meet challenging and comprehensive graduation requirements: four years of English; three years or more of mathematics, science, history and foreign lan­guage; 40 hours of community service; two or more art courses; and seven credits in athletics and/or physical education.

Students may also select classes from a 33-page curriculum book, which includes 22 Advanced Placement and 7 honors (college level) courses. Our deep and diverse curriculum affords students the opportunity to gain a broad understanding of many subjects and also pursue their specific interests in greater depth and detail. Within each discipline, students and advi­sors choose the level of study appropriate to their individual abilities. The schedule offers both 45-minute daily classes and 100-minute alternating day classes to prepare students for the pace and schedule they will find in college.

As they guide students through the academic rigors of Upper School, our teachers reach out beyond their syllabi to help each individual become an inde­pendent, responsible, self-disciplined and ethical young adult. Building on strong student-teacher relationships in an environment with well-defined guidelines, faculty members encourage decision-making and help students clar­ify their values. Within this Upper School setting, students mature socially, emotionally and intellectually as they develop individual responsibility and the confidence to succeed well beyond their Tatnall years.