Upper School
As the ‘preparatory’ part of our name indicates, a central intent of the Upper School experience at EPS is to prepare students for college and life beyond. This process entails gaining mastery and command in the traditional academic disciplines, and developing skills to excel in today’s competitive institutions of higher education. (For more information on courses offered at Eastside Prep, visit our Course Catalog.)
To this end, Eastside Prep students:
- Become technologically literate, honing their ability to use tools effectively in research and presentation of knowledge.
- Engage sophisticated, complex coursework as a preparation for the future, wrestling with questions of high complexity.
- Integrate thinking from each of their classes, learning to apply knowledge mastered in one field to enhance learning in another.
- Practice academic collaboration with teachers and peers, with the expectation that this will be a continued and important part of their college experience.
- Navigate a robust collection of course offerings, learning to discern their personal academic interests and choose a relevant path.
Middle school students explore what it means to be literary thinkers by focusing on the principal skills of reading, writing, and speaking. Students read a wide range of literary forms and genres, use the writing workshop model to practice writing skills, and share ideas verbally through a variety of discussion techniques. In the Upper School, students continue to build on these skills and processes, and also begin collegiate-level writing and analysis of literature. Across the discipline, students graduate prepared for life-long critical thinking, reading, and writing.
US Course Requirement (4 years)
- Four years (one course per trimester) in grades 9-12
respond, connect, and present. This learning process is present in other areas of the school as well as life: how to communicate, give and receive feedback, refine work, and present it to an audience. As Arts Faculty, this is our contribution to the mission-driven experience that makes up the EPS education: to think, act, lead and innovate.
US Course Requirement (5 trimesters)
- Five trimester credits taken in grades 9-12
US Course Requirement (3 years)
- Three years in grades 9-11
This is achieved through a combination of direct instruction and hands-on investigation, stressing process and context as much as solution. Understanding is assessed through the application of knowledge and skills to new contexts, and whenever possible, stress is put on application to the real world.
Prior to enrollment, students are placed at a math level commensurate with their past course experience and current skill level. Placement decisions are based on a placement exam/interview and/or the discretion of the Math Discipline Faculty and the Upper School Head.
US Course Requirement (3 years)
- Three years in grades 9-11
US Course Requirement (5 trimesters)
- Five trimesters taken during grades 9-12 (including one trimester credit of PE Wellness during grade 9)
Participation in Sports
Credit can be earned through participation on EPS teams.
A maximum of three credits may be waived by participation on outside teams (if we don’t offer that sport) or activities on a case-by-case basis.
US Course Requirement (3 years)
- Three years in grades 9-11 (fulfilled by Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)
The goals of the Spanish Program at EPS are: (1) to introduce students to the joy and beauty of world language learning and to help them develop their communicative abilities through the consistent application of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing; (2) to prepare students to eventually live, work, or study in a Spanish-speaking environment; (3) to prepare students for placement into university-level Spanish classes; (4) to develop intercultural awareness by exploring the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world; (5) and to support our school’s heritage speakers’ unique experiences and needs in our classrooms.
At the time of enrollment in the Upper School program, students are placed at a Spanish level commensurate with their past Spanish experience and current skills. Placement decisions are made based on a placement exam and/or at the discretion of the Spanish Faculty and Upper School Head.
US Course Requirement (3 years)
- Three years in grades 9-12 (or through Spanish 4)
Does EPS offer only Spanish as a world language? Yes, and proudly! Learn more about our Spanish program in this video: Spanish Program at Eastside Prep
At the heart of our philosophy is student ownership, growth, and development. Students are often asked to extend assignments in ways meaningful to them. Determining their own goals and meeting them internalizes concepts in ways that a rubric cannot. Taken together, this inspires students to create a better world through solving problems with the increasing power of the tools available to them.
US Course Requirement
- No graduation requirement
US Course Requirement
- No graduation requirement