Boarding High School in Pennsylvania for Boys

The Kiski School:
Located on a beautiful, 350-acre campus is in Saltsburg PA, 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, The Kiski School is one of the oldest all-boys college preparatory boarding schools in the United States. In a typical year, Kiski enrolls 200 students in grades 9-12 plus a handful of post-graduate students. Our students come from many different US states and more than a dozen different countries.

College Preparatory school curriculum, including numerous AP courses:

Academic Program
Kiski offers a full college preparatory curriculum, which exposes boys to the broad range of liberal arts and sciences and helps them gain entrance into a four-year college of their choice. Each student should seek to challenge himself and take full advantage of what Kiski has to offer academically.

The fact that classes are small (average class size is 12 students) and that teachers are available for extra help outside of the classroom are two major features that distinguish Kiski from most other schools. Teachers are available for extra help during the day or in their homes on campus in the evenings. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this aspect of Kiski. If they are experiencing difficulty in a course, students may be required to meet regularly with their instructor. 

Core curriculum subjects:
- English
- Mathematics
- Foreign Language
- History
- Fine Arts
- Ethics and Personal Development...

Graduation Requirements
Every candidate for graduation must successfully complete nineteen credits. Beginning with the class of 2008, twenty credits will be required. Graduation requirements include: four years of English, four years of mathematics, three years of the same foreign language, three years of history (beginning with the class of 2008), and three years of a laboratory science.

Fine Arts and Ethics & Personal Development or their equivalents are also graduation requirements. A senior who fails a course will not be graduated. The Research Project is another graduation requirement at Kiski. During the fall term each junior chooses a topic for his research paper. Upon approval of the topic by the Research Paper Chairman, the student is assigned to a faculty advisor familiar with the general area of investigation. Deadlines for bibliography, note cards, rough draft, and the final paper are scheduled by the Research Chairman and his committee. The grade earned on this project appears on the transcript.

Grading System
Students are graded by their teachers at 4-5 week intervals, depending on the number of classes the calendar permits. Students receive reports of their academic progress from the Headmaster in October, December, February and April and with them the words of encouragement and advice that Kiski boys remember for the rest of their lives.

At the end of each grading period, grades are sent to each student’s family. In addition, at the end of each term comments from each teacher are included with the grades. The final grade in June represents the grade for the year and will appear on the transcript. Students receive a percentage grade during the individual marking periods. However, this grade is converted to a letter grade that represents the achievement for the entire year.

Academic Honesty
A learning environment is based on trust, honesty and integrity. Any form of academic dishonesty that violates or devalues the educational process is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Violations against academic honesty include but are not limited to copying and submitting another's homework as one's own as well as cheating on an essay, paper, quiz or test.

Cheating is defined as obtaining or giving information that assists one's own, or another's, performance. This includes activities that take place both in and out of the classroom. At Kiski, the use of aids, whether by written, verbal or coded means, is strictly forbidden. The writing of a paper is an important aspect of the educational experience.