An impressive course list can show what a high school teaches, but it doesn’t necessarily show how well those courses will prepare your child for college and life beyond.
By high school, the expectations have changed. Students need more than required credits. They need opportunities to tackle challenging material, think independently, communicate clearly, and develop the discipline to handle greater responsibility. This is why asking what the curriculums in private high schools should include leads to a closer look at both content and purpose.
At The Highlands School, students in grades 9 through 12 follow a college-preparatory program spanning the humanities, mathematics, sciences, and arts, with opportunities for honors, Advanced Placement®, and dual-credit coursework.
A Curriculum That Builds Deeper Thinking
Students need to understand that high school brings greater expectations and that learning should become more challenging than it was in earlier grades.
At The Highlands School, students explore the human person and relationships through history, literature, and theology. Mathematics and the life and physical sciences provide another way to study and understand the world.
These disciplines ask students to move beyond recalling information. A literature discussion can require them to interpret and defend an idea, while mathematics and science demand careful reasoning and attention to evidence.
The result is an education that develops knowledge while strengthening the ability to think critically and communicate clearly.
Rigor That Prepares Students for College
Academic challenge should also prepare students for the expectations they will encounter after graduation.
The Highlands School offers a college-preparatory program with an academic honors track for students who demonstrate the ability and proficiency to pursue more challenging coursework. Advanced Placement options include English Literature & Composition, U.S. History, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Students can also pursue dual credit through the University of Dallas.
Evidence suggests that appropriately challenging coursework can matter beyond high school. A College Board review of research found that students who took an AP Exam and scored a 3 or higher were six percentage points more likely to graduate from college within four years than comparable students in the study.
The goal, however, is not simply to collect advanced courses. Students need the right level of challenge, along with the habits and guidance needed to succeed.
More Than One Path to Academic Challenge
Not every student develops at the same pace or needs an identical academic path.
Honors, AP, and dual-credit options give students different ways to stretch themselves as their abilities and interests develop. At The Highlands School, personalized academic rigor extends across mathematics, English, science, history, and world languages.
This creates room for students to pursue greater depth when they are ready while continuing to build a well-rounded academic foundation.
For parents researching a private high school in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, that distinction is worth considering. A strong curriculum should challenge students appropriately rather than treating rigor as a one-size-fits-all standard.
Formation Is Part of the Education
Academic preparation is only one part of what students need before adulthood.
At The Highlands School, Integral Formation® develops students intellectually, humanly, spiritually, and apostolically. The school’s Catholic-Christian worldview connects what students learn with how they live, so academic achievement develops alongside integrity, personal responsibility, faith, and service to others.
This is where Catholic education adds another dimension to the curriculum. Students are not only preparing to perform well in college. They are developing the judgment and character needed to decide how they will use their knowledge, freedom, and God-given talents.
For a teenager approaching adulthood, those questions become increasingly important.
Beyond the Course List
When asking what are the curriculums in private high schools, subjects and advanced courses provide only part of the answer. The stronger question is what those courses are preparing a student to do with what they learn.
The Highlands School describes its high school program as preparation for college success, professional life, and family life. Rigorous academics, advanced coursework, and Integral Formation® work toward that broader goal.
Join us on campus to meet the teachers, discover our college preparatory pathways, and experience how academic rigor integrates with Catholic formation during your high school years.
The right private high school curriculum should prepare your child for the next four years of education, but its influence should last much longer.