Upper School
Upper School sees the fruition of the partnership between student and teacher. Outside of the classroom, students have ample opportunities to participate in various activities, the arts, yearbook, student council, and service projects. The curriculum integrates reading, writing, math, problem solving, and critical thinking skills into every content area, forming the foundation for research and learning at its deepest level. Teachers can reach each student with support or further challenge. They also emphasize links between the disciplines. As students broaden their understanding of the world and the mind, this awareness of relationships helps to ground a sense of responsibility and connection. Confidence is a major issue for young adolescents; faculty make sure students feel confident both engaging with classmates and working individually seeking answers and testing hypothesis. Students enjoy being part of a close knit community where the paramount value is respect for each other. The Upper School curriculum is designed to sharpen a student’s ability to make inferences, draw conclusions, and understand cause and effect. With guidance from teachers, students explore innovative lab techniques, integrate technology, conduct extensive research, manipulate mathematical problems, write creatively, and think critically from a variety of perspectives. An essential partnership between student and teacher underlies this challenging program of content and skill development.
What do students achieve with a Foothill education? Our graduates attend competitive local independent and public high schools, national boarding schools, and colleges and universities throughout the nation. Our faculty provides the expert mentoring, individual attention, and rigorous standard that prepare teenagers who will participate, contribute, and lead during their high school years.