school profile
TO SPARK ADVENTURE + WONDER, FOSTER INQUIRY + COMMUNITY, AND BUILD THE CHARACTER + ABILITY OF STUDENTS TO TAKE ON THE WORLD’S GREATEST CHALLENGES.
100% of upper school graduates have global study experience 7:1 student to teacher ratio students in grades 6-12 117 seniors in 2025 graduating class 16 college acceptance
100%
TEST SCORES
Middle 50% (last 5 years) SAT: 1080-1260 ACT: 26-30
COMMUNITY-ENGAGED EDUCATION AND COMMON GOOD PROJECTS
Watershed School empowers students to make a difference in their local, regional, and global communities with an academic curriculum that examines transdisciplinary topics in-depth in collaboration with community partners. Watershed students develop the skills and habits needed to understand and contribute to solutions for today’s most relevant problems. This is education that directly supports students in making an impact today, after graduation, and beyond.
CHARACTER AND ABILITY
Watershed students are curious learners, creative problem solvers, adventurous spirits, and caring, committed global citizens who engage in regular reflection and goal setting for academic and personal development. With support and feedback from teachers, Watershed students consistently work to demonstrate our Portrait of a Graduate skills and abilities (research, communication, quantitative reasoning, craft and artistry, and leadership) and character strengths (curiosity, courage, creativity, emotional intelligence, and ownership) that will prepare them for lives of purpose.
Examples of community-engaged course work with common good projects include: exploration of home and belonging with outreach to area unhoused people and to senior citizens experiencing isolation; investigation of fire ecology and fire abatement work on conservation lands; fish and riparian ecology studies with water quality data collection and contribution to clean-up efforts; study of social justice issues that include analysis of regional prison reform initiatives for an area nonprofit.
EXPEDITION COURSES
Expedition courses are honors level and begin with essential questions and challenges that are real in the world and alive in the hearts of our students. Course content flows from there, ensuring that the content is responsive to the issue at hand. Expedition courses are transdisciplinary and categorized as science, social science, and English as appropriate depending on the content. Expedition courses become natural places to engage students in work that matters beyond the walls of the school. Some examples of essential questions are: What does it mean to be an informed and effective citizen? How can biodiversity create a more sustainable future? How can we use our writing to reflect on our own experiences, initiate change within our broader communities, and impact our global society?
SKILLS COURSES
Skills courses are where students develop fundamental skills across the disciplines that enable them to do the work of exploring the world’s great challenges. Watershed offers skills courses in mathematics, language, technology, and the arts. Upper school mathematics offerings begin with Algebra and progress through Calculus. Algebra 1 and 2 also integrate data science into the curriculum. Spanish is the only world language offered at Watershed and courses begin with Spanish 1 and advance through Spanish 5 with an opportunity to earn a Seal of Biliteracy Diploma upon graduation. Other skills courses include offerings such as Ceramics, Robotics, Creative Writing, Digital Design, Journalism, Painting and Perception, The Graphic Novel, Filmmaking, and Computer Programming.
Example: Body and Soul Expedition: In this class, students will explore what it means to be human through both scientific and philosophical lenses. We will study the human body as a physical system by exploring anatomy and physiology in increasing levels of complexity. We will explore the body at the atomic level and work our way up to cellular, tissue, and system level inquiry. Simultaneously, students will be exploring what it means to be a human being using a philosophical lens. What makes us different from other living things and uniquely human? What is truth? How do we know what we know? What role do religion and literature play in defining the human experience? Our studies will include visits with local experts as well as a wide range of literature. In addition to these themes, the class will highlight skills including empirical thought, research methods, scientific writing, personal and analytical writing, critical reading, and morality and ethics.
CARING, COMMITTED GLOBAL CITIZENS
Watershed students travel locally, domestically, and internationally throughout the year. The intention behind fieldwork and travel is to spark a sense of wonder, dive deeply into the challenges and opportunities facing the world today, and collaborate with others who are working toward the common good.
MAY TERM
May Term academic courses are real-world, transdisciplinary, place-based, and intensive. These month long courses integrate academic content with significant travel. Sample program sites developed by Watershed include areas in the U.S., Guatemala, Kenya, Iceland, Mexico, Vietnam, and Peru. Through a variety of experiences, students gain deep understanding of the intricacies of challenges important in our world, and return with confidence, empathy, and an understanding of what it means to belong to a connected, global community.
TRAVEL EXPERIENCES FOR THE CLASS OF 2025
Over the past four years, the Class of 2025 has traveled locally, domestically, and internationally. They have backpacked, paddled, and researched in the field. They have participated in international service, language and cultural immersion, and in community building initiatives. By graduation, students will have spent on average 88 nights in the field over their 4-year upper school experience.
GRADING SYSTEM AND GPA CONVERSION
COMMUNITY CURRICULUM
Watershed School intentionally builds community through programs including an annual eight-day backpacking orientation trip, weekly advisory and community meetings, and school-wide community days and stewardship that require students to take responsibility for their surroundings and individual contributions that build an inclusive and healthy community. Students take active roles in shaping our school and community. Our student leadership opportunities include the Citizenship Committee, Academic Program Committee, Community Committee, Head’s Council, membership in academic departments, teaching assistants, and in our student-led clubs.
INDEPENDENT STUDIES AND INTERNSHIPS
Students interested in pursuing an area of demonstrated passion may design their own independent coursework and internship opportunities. This includes identifying learning goals, making connections in the community, completing coursework in their topic area, and presenting on their learning. These courses and opportunities offer an experience for students ready to take on additional challenge and self-direction in their learning.
Watershed expedition courses are honors-level. GPAs are on a 4.0, unweighted and unranked scale.
Our proficiency levels (below) are the communication of what students can do relative to the learning targets for each course. These proficiencies measure a student’s level of accomplishment at the end of a course versus an average of individual assignments. A GPA is calculated according to the following: Proficiency Level What does it mean?
Equivalency
Accomplished Proficiency Student has demonstrated an advanced understanding of the major concepts, skills, and experiences of the course, and can help others use and apply the concepts. This assessment level represents significant accomplishment.
Developing Proficiency Student has made significant progress toward understanding the course’s major concepts, skills, and experiences.
Beginning Proficiency Student is beginning to grasp the major learning concepts. 2.0
No Credit
AWARDS
(High)
(Low)
Through a committee process, students may earn an “Exemplary Award” when their achievement goes well beyond the learning targets for the course. Awards are earned through an original application, synthesis, or product reflecting advanced course content. Students can also earn awards for exemplary performance in our Portrait of a Graduate character strengths and skills and abilities (curiosity, courage, creativity, emotional intelligence, ownership, research skills, communication skills, quantitative reasoning skills, craft and artistry, and leadership skills) when they demonstrate these skills across multiple courses at an exemplary level.
