A semester school is a school that complements a student's secondary education by providing them with the opportunity to step out of their regular school for half an academic year and step into a uniquely different educational setting while continuing their required academic studies.Semester Schools Network The academic curriculum at semester schools tends to be college preparatory, interdisciplinary, and experiential.National Association of Independent Schools: Semester Schools Peterson's Semester Schools: Great Opportunities Private School Review: Semester Schools
Characteristics Semester school curricula are built around themesInformation from a review of semester school websites including environmental sustainability, marine ecology, organic farming, ethics and leadership, visual arts, and others. The curricula tend to be place-based drawing on the resources and opportunities of each school's unique location.College Bound Network: Living and Learning at Semester Schools Semester schools are boarding schools. Community living is a key element of the experience. Through living closely with peers and teachers and working together to benefit the school community students develop their communication, leadership, and cooperative skills. Semester schools enroll college bound sophomores, juniors, and or seniors. Most semester schools focus primarily on students from just one grade level. Semester school programs run from 14 to 18 weeks. Semester schools tend to be small, enrolling from 15 to 60 students a semester with average class sizes ranging from 5 to 15 students. Semester schools are private schools that charge tuition and offer financial aid. Depending on the school and a student’s family situation the cost can range from no cost to several thousands of dollars. Most semester schools are located in the United States. While most semester schools serve students in secondary school or high school, Steward Outdoor School in Ivoryton, CT serves middle school students.
Benefits Attending a semester school can: Intensify a student’s interest in and motivation for learning. New York Times - Semester Away Allow a student to pursue a special area of interest in depth. SEEN Magazine - Semester school programs Complement a student's education with experiences that aren't available at their home school.The Lovett School - Semester School Programs Broaden a student’s range of skills and interests and increase their maturity level. Give students a head start on developing the independence, good judgment, and life skills necessary for living away from home before they leave for college. Provide students with a unique, eye-catching experience that sets them apart from other applicants when applying to colleges.College Bound Network: A New Adventure at Semester Schools Provide students from public schools a boarding school experience without the cost or time commitment of a four-year school.
Growth The first semester school was Milton Academy's Mountain School which opened in 1984 in Vershire, Vermont. Since then more than a dozen additional semester schools have opened across the United States of America and in other countries. The list of opening dates below shows the growth in semester schools over time and their geographic diversity. 1984 – Mountain School, Vershire, Vermont 1986 – Swiss Semester, Zermatt, Switzerland 1988 – Maine Coast Semester, Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki, Wiscasset, Maine 1995 – The Outdoor Academy, Pisgah Forest, North Carolina 1996 – CITYterm, Dobbs Ferry, New York (closed Fall 2019) 1997 – High School Semester at Sea (Ocean Classroom), Western North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea (closed July 2014) 1998 – High Mountain Institute, Leadville, Colorado (originally named Rocky Mountain Semester) 1999 – The Island School, Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas 1999 – Oxbow School, Napa, California (closed) 2000 – The Traveling School, Southern Africa & South America with a home office in Bozeman, Montana 2004 – Woolman Semester, Nevada City, California (closed) 2004 – Kroka Semester School, Marlow, New Hampshire 2009 – School for Ethics and Global Leadership, Washington, D.C. 2009 – Finding the Good, Nevada City, California (closed) 2010 – Coastal Studies for Girls, Freeport, Maine (closed) 2010 – Conserve School, Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin (closed) 2012 – Alzar School, Valley County, Idaho 2012 – Burr and Burton Academy Mountain Campus, Manchester, Vermont 2016 – Steward Outdoor School Ivoryton, Connecticut
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