One critical aspect of our culture is excellence – particularly in emphasizing one’s personal best. There is an acknowledgement that not every boy comes to us from the same starting line and our curriculum is intentionally filled with avenues for boys to pursue excellence as they move through their six-year journey. With this goal in mind, Math and language placement is always catered to the level needed by boys, and we are very fortunate to have some truly advanced math offerings beyond BC Calculus – including Multivariate Calculus and Linear Algebra. In the humanities, Upper School students have the opportunity to branch out into areas of personal interest through our elective and inquiry courses. We also have writing support options for boys who join Belmont Hill later in the journey. 

At a high level, we blend traditional and innovative curricula driven by a fundamental question: what is best for boys? On the traditional side, our Latin program drives understanding of etymology, grammar, and study skills for our Middle School boys early in their experience. We continue to teach grammar but more broadly teach study and organization skills to boys in their early years. It is not atypical for boys to receive some challenging grades in the Middle School before launching to new heights in the Upper School. 

Speaking of the Upper School, boys are allowed to enter AP courses directly in the Sciences and Humanities rather than on the heels of coursework in the same area. This allows them access to more AP offerings than many peer schools. Additionally, in recent years we have built more pathways for boys to distinguish their interests for themselves and for the college process. They include programs such as: Advanced Science Research; Advanced Action Research; Social Entrepreneurship; Neuroscience; Design and Entrepreneurship; and Independent Study.

More broadly, we love hands-on learning experiences for boys as part of their academic curriculum. Examples include the creation of toboggans and boats in physics classes, makerspace programming, or even a senior elective in Maine seacoast literature and canoe building. Underneath this is our graduation requirement of constructing a panel, which asks each boy to leave a physical legacy on this campus. Click here for a deeper explanation of the academic program, and how it intentionally combines classroom work with travel and other experiences to forge a developmental quest for character over time.

We also can see in our Middle School themes surrounding heroes and leadership, that we are continually engaged with our boys in how the content of their classes connects to a larger goal of character and leadership. In this way, we work hard to answer why we learn what we learn each and every day. Our goal is to make sure that each boy can understand the larger picture of purpose when it comes to our ideals of character.