Upper School Student studying in the classroom

Upper School is the final step before students graduate to adulthood.  It is our goal that every Delphian graduate will walk forward into the next stage of their life with confidence and certainty in their abilities.

Our faculty take a genuine interest in our students and work to understand their individual strengths and weaknesses, their short-term aspirations and their long-term goals. Delphian Upper School students learn to function in a caring, professional manner and to experience the value of living responsibly. They learn to to understand the value of service: to work as part of a team and to lead one. They gain the academic knowledge and practical skills needed to confidently and competently tackle whatever their next step in life may be. 

"Delphian helped me to find my purpose and gave me the skills and confidence I needed to graduate feeling prepared for life."

R.W. GRADUATE

Academic study

Delphian Upper School students take on a rich and rewarding academic program which includes extensive literature, mathematics, public speaking, writing, science, history and government studies.

In addition, Upper School students study and gain practical abilities and experience in the subjects of:

  • Leadership, through organizing and managing group activities to achieve specific goals.
  • Integrity, in an environment which encourages critical thinking and free and open inquiry.
  • Logic and reasoning, through research assignments which require students to explore views different from their own, and to form their own opinions based on their findings, which they are able to communicate with well-researched explanations.
Upper School student reading Democracy in America

literature program

Delphian's literature program includes a diverse selection of literary works which are read independently or in seminar-style classes.

The book selection includes several classics in addition to more recently published selections—all carefully chosen to broaden students' viewpoints and their understanding of our world's culture and history.

Additionally, students are given writing and group discussion assignments which challenge them to organize their own thoughts and present them in a way which displays a high level of understanding,  observation and integrity. 

Summer Intern assisting Middle School students build a canoe in Maker's Camp

practical application

By the time students make it into the Upper School, they are just a few short years from adulthood. It is not just a requirement for students to study their academic subjects for application: they are expected to apply what they have learned—not in some distant future, but now while they are learning it.

The practical application of a subject allows students to discover how useful, how valuable, how valid information is, and—sometimes more importantly—what they are capable of. 

For the most part, students choose and plan their practical projects, apprenticeships and internships to fulfill specific, open-ended guidelines  and requirements. This allows students to try new things and explore their interests.

The up-close view into the real-life application of subjects combined with the leadership, communication and responsibility skills they build through our student leadership program empower students to become young adults who can go anywhere. 

Upper
school Age RANGE

Students typically begin in the Upper School as early as age 13 and graduate around age 18.

Our teachers, called academic supervisors, are the expert guides, always there to assist, support and encourage our students through each level of our program.

our approach

our alumni

Roni Akilov, 2020

"The staff members look at us as young adults and not as children, and they treat us as if they were family relatives. They help us learn how to positively lead our own lives, they help us learn from our mistakes, they let us own our education, and they don't judge by what we want to do or be."

Read More about Roni Akilov, 2020

OUr Mission 

To empower young adults to bring positive change in the world through reason, creativity and integrity. 

 

Quick Facts

71

average # of books students read in our Upper School literature program.

30

minimum # of minutes spent practicing math daily through one of our 26+ required math programs.

52

required and elective science courses offered at the Upper School level.

29

required courses that build life skills such as communication, planning, organizing and logic.

85%

of graduates are accepted to their first choice college.

23

interscholastic teams compete in nine different league sports.

7

average # hours spent on community service weekly per student.

10:1

student faculty ratio.

20

# of real-world projects and internships required before graduation from the high school program.