Curriculum - Wyoming Seminary

Wyoming Seminary was founded in 1844 to serve as a "seminary of learning." Over the past 180-plus years, the school's commitment to providing students with a first-class education has never wavered, has always remained its top priority and has guided Sem in the hiring of excellent, forward-thinking instructors.

Wyoming Seminary is built upon a strong foundation of core subjects, such as math, science, history and language, which form the backbone of a well-rounded education. Sem's faculty is just as committed, however, to nurturing students' creative skills and critical-thinking abilities in enrichment programs and elective courses.

Wyoming Seminary Lower School in Forty Fort houses three levels of academic programming. Early Childhood encompasses toddler, preschool, prekindergarten and kindergarten; Primary is Grades 1-4; and Middle School is Grades 5-8. As students grow older and undergo significant cognitive, emotional and social transformations while at the Lower School, our classrooms and teachers — and their teaching philosophies — change, as well. One thing that never changes is our commitment to fostering a growth mindset and adjusting to the unique needs and interests of each age group.

Wyoming Seminary Upper School in Kingston is home to Sem's Grades 9 through 12 and postgraduate population. The curriculum at this stage is challenging, thus preparing students for success in college and beyond, but it is also flexible. We offer 25 Advanced Placement and 12 Honors courses, as well as standard-level courses, providing students with teaching that is tailored to their aspirations. Flexibility in course selection alleviates academic pressure on students who may not be ready for AP or Honors courses but will still grow from a meaningful educational experience.

Please click the drop-down buttons below to read more about each academic level. Contact Wyoming Seminary admissions (admissions@wyomingseminary.org) for more information.

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Early Childhood

TODDLER, PRESCHOOL, PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN

The Early Childhood program is tailored to meet the developmental needs of children from ages 2 to 6. The class sizes are small and the learning environments are modified appropriately for these ages. The curriculum is coordinated with the entire Wyoming Seminary program. Special classes such as chorus, library skills, creative movement and physical education are introduced in prekindergarten. Art, global language and music are added in kindergarten.

Primary

GRADES 1-4

To accommodate the tremendous growth in children attending Grades 1-4, each grade level has a team of teachers who work together to nurture individual needs. Students are assigned to a homeroom teacher who is responsible for most of their learning, especially in literacy and mathematics. For given units of study, the grade level team of teachers may meet with all the children, depending on their needs. Introductory global language classes meet once a week in first and second grades. Third and fourth grades meet for global language every other day. Special classes such as art, chorus, computer, library skills, music and physical education continue through the elementary grades.

Middle School

GRADES 5-8

Each middle-school student takes four major academic subjects (English, mathematics, science and social studies). In our middle school, Grade 5 is a transitional time. Instruction occurs in a combination of self-contained and departmentalized classes, which encourages the students to move from classroom to classroom. Most fifth- and sixth-grade students take French or Spanish five days a week or study skills. Seventh- and eighth-graders take French or Spanish and/or Latin. Critical reading, enrichment reading and study skill classes are offered in Grades 7 and 8.

Middle-school students take concomitant courses in art, computer skills, health, music and physical education. There is also a daily activities period that is used for assemblies, band or chorus rehearsals, occasional study halls and various activities.

Upper School

GRADES 9-12, PG

To qualify for a Wyoming Seminary diploma, students must accumulate a minimum of 18.333 credits in two categories: core requirements and concomitant requirements. 1.000 credit is usually equal to full-year attendance in a course. Trimester courses earn .333 credit.

Core requirements include 17.333 credits, distributed in the following manner:

English 4.00 credits
Mathematics 3.00 credits
Global Language* 3.00 credits of the same language
History-Social Science* 3.00 credits including Modern World History and U.S. History
Laboratory Science* 3.00 credits including Biology and another lab science
Arts 0.666 credit including one Studio course and one History/Theory course
Electives 0.666 credit *

Asterisks indicate that in one of these disciplines, students may reduce the stated requirement by one credit (but in no more than one of these disciplines).

Concomitant requirements include 1.000 credit, distributed as follows:

Health education .333 credit
Religion .333 credit
Public speaking .333 credit

One trimester of Physical Education is required of all students each year and can be completed through participation in an interscholastic sport, dance class, PE after school or approved off-site program.

POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

Preparing the academic schedule for postgraduate students is a highly personalized process. The Academic Dean, the Registrar and the Director of College Counseling consult with the student before proposing possible schedule options.