Academics

Advanced, Honors & Independent Study

Honors & Advanced Courses

For those students seeking additional academic challenges, EHS offers more than 40 Honors or Advanced courses. These courses are offered to students who have met specific departmental criteria for excellence, including test scores and grades in prior courses. Honors and Advanced classes are available in required courses such as English, math, social studies, science, and foreign languages, as well as in many electives. Last year, approximately 82% of students taking AP exams achieved a score of three or better.

Current Offerings

The following Advanced courses are offered to students who have met specific departmental criteria for excellence, including test scores and grades in prior courses:

Social Studies

US History

Global Studies: History and Politics of Food

Global Studies: Middle East

Global Studies: Latin America

History of The Cold War

Macroeconomics

Microeconomics

Research Seminar: Digital History

Research Seminar: History of Place: EHS, VA, DC

Research Seminar: World War & European Society

US Government

Modern and Classical Languages

Chinese Language

French Language

Topics in French Language

Topics in German

Topics in Latin 1, 2

Spanish Language

Spanish Literature

Mathematics

Calculus AB

Calculus BC

Linear Algebra

Statistics

Computer Science

Projects in Computer Science

3D Modeling, Computer Aided Design & Manufacturing

Science

Physics 1

Physics C

Chemistry

Biology

Environmental Science

Engineering

Arts

Audio Engineering

Studio Art: 3D Design

Studio Art: 2D Design

Studio Art: Drawing Port.

Rick Stubbs, Math Teacher

Each day the students arrive in class with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose - and a sense of humor! I work with teachers who recognize that we teach students more than we teach math, and we work closely together to best serve our students. It is the joy of working with young people with this kind of spirit that keeps me looking forward to the start of the school year each September.

Independent Study

For those students who would like to pursue academic work in unusual depth, Episcopal offers the opportunity for independent study. Students, along with a faculty mentor and the assistant head for academics, can develop a course that covers any topic that the student would like to further explore. This will supplement regular course work and is usually a semester-long endeavor which is graded and for which the student earns credit. In the past, students have delved into their areas of interest by taking advanced language courses, examining historical people and places, and in-depth studies of theater, literature, or theology.

A few recent examples of independent study course include:

3D Modeling & Architectural Interactive 3D Maps
Histoire de l'Art Français
Literature of Hip Hop
Magical Realism in Modern Mexican Literature
Photography through a Historical Lens
Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism
Prussian History
Stage Managing and Directing
Participation in the Folger Shakespeare Library Fellowship Program

All independent study projects will be in addition to the student’s regular course work and must be approved by the assistant head for academics. The independent study, which is usually a semester-long endeavor, is graded and students can earn one half credit that is factored into their overall grade point average.

Global Online Academy

Episcopal High School partners with Global Online Academy (GOA), a not-for-profit consortium of leading independent schools from around the world. GOA offers EHS students the opportunity to learn alongside peers from around the world and to test their passions in ways typically unavailable on a single campus.

The mission of Global Online Academy is to reimagine learning to empower students and educators to thrive in a globally networked society, deepening learning through courses that equip students with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be successful in high school, college, career, and life.

With Global Online Academy, teachers and students can share their voice on a global stage, improving learning and enabling the pursuit of individual passions.

There are currently more than 85 independent schools in the GOA consortium from all around the world, representing more than 15 countries and 25 states. All GOA courses are developed and taught by teachers who are currently teaching at a GOA member school.

Episcopal juniors and seniors may take GOA courses as electives for course credits. GOA course workload and course intensity is equivalent to courses taken on our campus. Unlike many online courses, students are not passive receptors of prerecorded lectures from their teachers. Instead, students collaborate on challenging and interesting projects with students from around the world. They are also expected to manage their workload and time effectively to support the asynchronous nature of the courses.

For more information, please visit the Global Online Academy website, or contact GOA Site Director Kim Olsen at GOA@episcopalhighschool.org.