Private School in San Francisco Bay Area CA

The Athenian School, San Francisco Bay Area:
The Athenian School is an independent co-educational college preparatory school in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. The school is located on a beautiful 75-acre campus at the base of Mt. Diablo in Danville, Contra Costa County. We offer a day program for Middle School students (grades 6-8) from the East Bay region and day and boarding programs for Upper School students(grades 9-12) from the US and throughout the world. Nearly 100% of the school's graduates gain admission to outstanding four-year colleges.

Middle School Curriculum:
The Athenian Middle School incorporates a thorough curriculum including the basic disciplines such as English, social studies, science, mathematics, languages, athletics, and fine and performing arts. The curriculum is taught by a world-class faculty, many who hail from highly regarded universities.

In addition to the core curriculum, the Athenian Middle School sets itself apart with distinctive features that include:

Humanities Curriculum
The humanities program unites social studies and English instruction and provides a major focus for the rigorous Middle School curriculum. The program develops essential skills: Effective oral and written communication, critical analysis, and reflective thinking. Students learn how to access information effectively, read critically, develop logical and effective arguments, and write clearly and grammatically. They also learn how to listen respectfully and work together cooperatively. Students come to appreciate diverse cultures and understand how they contribute to our current society. Ultimately, the humanities program develops students' confidence to ask searching questions and to carry projects to fruition and fulfillment. Students are prepared for success in the Upper School, college, and later life.

The 3-year humanities sequence employs grade-level themes: 6th grade Pacific Rim; 7th grade World Cultures; and 8th grade American Studies.

Focus Days
Focus Days feature special interdisciplinary events, which draw together the strands of the curriculum for enrichment or extension of activities that make learning come alive. Flexible scheduling on Focus Days allows us to take advantage of the educationally enriching resources of the Bay Area. Field trips, nearby Mount Diablo State Park, and our beautiful campus are enjoyed by all on these days. These thematic, hands-on, day-long programs bring to life concepts and skills from the curriculum. Focus Days often provide a time for the culminating events that conclude units of study. Examples include: Model United Nations, Nature vs. Nurture Debates, Greek Panathena, Medieval Guild Day, Migration Day, and Newtonian Olympics.

Elective Courses
Three times per year, students choose from a variety of electives typically offered in music, computers, sports, and study halls with tutorial support. Other popular choices have included yearbook, student government, jewelry making, and gardening.

Upper School Curriculum:
Small classes, an interdisciplinary curriculum, high academic and personal standards, and close relationships between teachers and students are the cornerstones of Athenian's academic program. In the 9th grade, students begin taking interdisciplinary courses. The Humanities I curriculum introduces them to the literature, art, religion, history, and drama of prominent world cultures. American Studies follows in the 10th grade, linking American Literature with United States History. In the 11th and 12th grades students are presented with a variety of sophisticated seminars from which to choose. Rigorous advanced programs in science, mathematics and foreign languages complement this distinctive program.

Six academic classes meet 4 times each week. A 7th period in the day is reserved for a variety of performing arts and physical education activities.

The academic calendar is divided into 2 terms. During the 2nd term, a 3-day Interim incorporates a community service project or special educational trip.

A rich array of learning experiences outside the classroom — service to the community, town meetings, independent study, foreign exchange, and the Athenian Wilderness Experience — further enhances the learning process.