Academics

Every day at Holy Child, we aim to engage our girls in an education that will shape who they are for the rest of their lives. Every project, opportunity, and experience is thoughtfully curated to help develop young women of conscience and action who will "meet the wants of the age."

No matter when a girl arrives at Holy Child, we have the same vision of her on graduation day. We want her to leave Holy Child as the best version of herself. She will be intellectual, courageous, confident, compassionate, and spiritual. 

Holy Child challenges our girls to shape their emerging interests into a course of study that encourages excellence and ignites life-long passions. We craft an environment that engenders “joy in teaching and joy in learning,” an approach to education important to our founder, Cornelia Connelly. We value an individualized approach to scholarship that creates space for individual interests and meaningful collaboration.

Our curriculum is a living document. Teams of faculty review, revise, and enrich our offerings to live the philosophy of Cornelia Connelly. Girls are challenged to think critically, write deeply, and engage meaningfully with their teachers, classmates, and course material. Coupled with our intentional interdisciplinary and enriching curriculum, the girls also learn while they play - in dance, choral ensemble, and even in recess for our Middle School students!

Technology is used to support creative and student-centered learning. Educational software and interactive tools help personalize learning for classes across the curriculum and for individual students. Whether visiting a French village through virtual reality or watching a video for a specific math review, technology allows the faculty to meet their students’ needs and expand student learning in new and engaging ways.

Meet some of our faculty

Upper School Academic Philosophy

Holy Child offers an individualized and innovative curriculum, including advanced placement classes in all disciplines, expansive offerings in the visual and performing arts, a competitive athletic program, and multiple leadership opportunities. We encourage students to challenge their minds, explore their passions, and push themselves outside their comfort zones so they grow academically, personally, spiritually, and socially.

One of the most important features of a Holy Child education is the experiential learning opportunities for our Upper School students. Holy Child students are encouraged to become global, creative thinkers through a variety of opportunities to study, serve, and explore areas locally and around the world. Trips to corporations, the opera, cultural clubs, exhibits, and more enable our students to learn from real-life experiences and become confident leaders within the classroom and beyond.

The dedication of our faculty to their students and the students’ love for their School is exceptional. Holy Child Upper School students work diligently and are supported by individual attention from faculty and administration. We work collaboratively with our students and families to ensure that each student is known and valued, and her academic and individual goals are supported.

Academic rigor, personal attention, and opportunities to excel outside the classroom are hallmarks of the Upper School at Holy Child. Students are encouraged to discover their passions and are supported to pursue those interests in order to develop their own unique potential.

Students receive careful guidance regarding course selection and graduation requirements, as well as with the college admissions process. Holy Child students are encouraged to take the most rigorous program in which they will be successful. Schedules are tailored and designed to accommodate individual student strengths.

Middle School Academic Philosophy

The Holy Child Middle School is bursting with curiosity and creativity. We seek to nurture middle school students’ connections to the world around them and guide them as they develop leadership skills, hone character strengths, and become confident and compassionate local and global citizens. Most importantly, our students find joy in the learning process, just as our Founder Cornelia Connelly intended when she wrote that the Holy Child Network Schools would emphasize “joy in teaching, joy in learning!”

All middle school students study language arts, social studies, foreign language, religion, science, and math. Each grade level offers a course in technology, library research, and media studies, as well as visual and performing arts. Faculty members bring their courses to life through project-based learning as well as experiential opportunities. Students are challenged to aspire to their personal best in a safe environment where each is known. 

Students can be found throughout the day building robots, reading independently, working with teachers to craft essays and write creative stories, researching topics in history, exploring in science labs, observing the wildlife on campus, competing in a kickball game on the turf field, helping a friend in need, on the way to a service-learning opportunity, or performing on stage! No day is the same, yet our program is intentionally designed to ensure that our students become confident, spiritual, compassionate, intellectual, and courageous through articulated shared values.

Throughout the year, our students go on many trips to complement their learning on campus. Fifth and sixth-grade students historically participate in team-building activities at outdoor education camps in the region. Our older girls look forward to overnight trips. Our seventh grade visits Cape Cod, and our eighth grade travels together to New York City! These trips highlight curricular connections and provide opportunities for the girls to bond with one another, creating memories that they bring with them to upper school. 

Socially and emotionally, middle school can be messy and may feel like a roller coaster, with many good days and some challenging ones, too. We understand the middle school years and appreciate the opportunities for growth. We encourage our students to take risks and step outside of their comfort zones. It is from these challenges that they grow into independent students, young leaders, and contributing citizens. Here at Holy Child, students learn both in the classroom and outside the classroom, as they journey towards becoming women of conscience and action. 

“I firmly believe in the benefits of an all-girls education and so glad I can contribute to the next generation in this setting.”

—Julia Karl, Math Faculty