Academic Profile
Overview
New Covenant Schools offers a classical, Christian education. The school stands in the Anglican Tradition and is affiliated with the Reformed Episcopal Church. The curriculum is rooted in the liberal arts and is rigorous at all levels. Ninety-six percent of our graduates have entered four-year colleges. Average standardized achievement test scores are consistently far above the national average with an overall SAT average range of 1210 – 1320 (Reading + Math). Class sizes are small and there is a high level of personal attention to students. The faculty is well qualified, with more than half of the faculty holding the master’s degree. Classical languages are required for all students beginning in kindergarten. Middle and high school (grades 5-8; 9-12) students typically study both Latin and Greek. Formal instruction in logic and classical rhetoric is required in grades 9 through 12. Students are expected to use their acquired logic and rhetorical skills in all areas of the curriculum, to think deeply and defend their positions rationally when answering questions of science, government and ethics, as well as in discussions of history, literature and religion. The senior year is completed by researching, writing, and defending a senior thesis before the faculty. There is only one academic track throughout the schools. Since our course of study is guided by the classical tradition, we are very select in the Advanced Placement courses we offer.
Program
We do offer AP courses in Calculus AB and BC, Latin, and English Literature/Composition. Students sit for the AP examinations in these classes if they wish and many also take the English Language/Comp. exam (with 87% pass rate in 2016). All other academic courses are taught at the Honors level. Classes are graded on a percentage basis, with 60 as the lowest passing grade. We require 27 high school credits for graduation.Grade point averages are based on a 5-point scale for AP, a 4.5-point scale for Honors, and a 4-point scale for all other courses. We record numeric grades for all courses but convert to the following grading scale for computation of the GPA:
Grade Scale
A = 94-100 | A- = 90-93
C+ = 77-79 | C = 73-76 | C- = 70-72
F = below 60
B+ = 87-89 | B = 83-86 | B – = 80-82
D+ = 67-69 | D = 63-66 | D- = 60-62
Credit Requirements
English
Physical Education
History/Government
Music
Mathematics
Art
Laboratory Science
Drama
Classical Language
Rhetoric
Academic Electives
Theology
Fine Arts Elective
Total:
4.0 credits
1.0 credit
3.0 credits
1.0 credit
3.0 credits
0.5 credit
3.0 credits
0.5 credit
3.0 credits
2.5 credits
3.0 credits
1.5 credits
1.0 credit
27.0 credits
