Curriculum

Academic rigor is the name of the game in the Pace Upper School—and while we set the bar high, we provide the support students need to exceed expectations.

Students may choose to follow a path toward Advanced Placement in one department while taking less rigorous courses in another. These individual choices, guided by caring and knowledgeable deans in consultation with parents, speak to students’ interests and talents. Elective courses offer opportunities for additional exploration, ensuring students find their place in the classroom and beyond.

Our faculty are the heart of the Upper School academic program, and they have the freedom to create challenging courses that unfailingly prepare students for college, for their roles in a civil society and for the challenges of a global community.

COLLEGE PREPARATORY (CP) COURSES

HONORS COURSES

These advanced courses require more extensive reading and preparation, taking students beyond the college preparatory courses. Students must satisfy the following requirements for admission to an honors-level course:

Superior performance on aptitude and achievement tests
Superior past performance in a specific subject area
Combined recommendations of teachers, department chairs and division head.

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Pace requires 46 total units for its diploma—42 of which must be academic, four of which may be satisfied with academic or non-academic electives. In addition, students must satisfy a non-unit physical education requirement (either by participation on an interscholastic athletic team or a personal fitness course) as well as a non-unit requirement for 40 hours of community engagement.

The curriculum is planned for maximum benefit to each student and not merely for the satisfaction of minimum requirements. A normal schedule consists of six classes per semester. The student’s dean and the Head of the Upper School must approve variation from this norm. A unit is one semester of study in a course.