Academics

An average class size of 12 allows students to be inspired and challenged, and emphasizes human development, community intimacy and enjoyment.

Take part in a free and intellectual exchange of ideas.

Flintridge Prep offers a broad liberal arts-based education, and a small class size is just one reason students have so many opportunities to delve more deeply into favorite subjects as they progress from middle school through high school. Another reason is that our faculty body is well educated and passionate about teaching. Their goal is to provide for each student, in every discipline, the knowledge and tools required to excel in college and in life.

Middle School (7th and 8th Grades)

These are the years for exploration and discovery, so our prescribed set of middle school courses offers a taste of as many academic and arts disciplines as possible. Our seventh grade English program is unique in that students take two separate courses each day, Composition and Literature, for a thorough grounding in writing skills as well as excellent analytical reading techniques. Middle school fine arts courses take students on a tour through a range of visual and performing arts fundamentals. Study of French, Spanish, or Latin begins in eighth grade. As Prep students head for the upper school, they bring a newly acquired sense of what they love, what they’re good at and what they want to pursue in depth.

Upper School (9th-12th Grades)

The combination of required and elective courses insures that our students gain all the skills and knowledge they’ll need to succeed in the college admissions process, while allowing them flexibility to focus deeply on their individual areas of interest. In grades 10–12, some honors sections are offered. Prep offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in French, Spanish, Latin, U.S. History, U.S. Government, Art History, Statistics, Physics, Music Theory, Studio Art, Calculus, and Computer Science.

All students enrolled in AP classes take the AP exam; the majority of students enrolled in honors classes also sit for the AP exams. Roughly half of the senior class elects to undertake an Independent Study. These ambitious academic projects are designed and carried out by the student under the direction of a faculty adviser. Independent Study projects are the equivalent of a semester course and span disciplines in the humanities, science, and arts. The culminating project is a formal presentation for the entire school community.
Requirements for Diploma

Upper school students are required to take 5 units each year. A year course yields 1 unit in that subject. The normal distribution pattern to qualify for the diploma is: