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Upper School: Great minds, strong hearts and bold voices.

The Upper School years are a time of tremendous intellectual growth and self-discovery as our students evolve through their teenage years into confident young adults. This is where students consider complex ideas in Harkness discussions, collaborate with classmates for interdisciplinary projects, immerse themselves in service and internship experiences and take initiative in independent research or entrepreneurship startups. With the support of their teachers, coaches and advisors, our students set and achieve ambitious academic and personal goals and graduate ready to face a world of limitless opportunities.
At Bryn Mawr, we encourage students to seek out all kinds of fun, challenging, and new experiences - academically, athletically, artistically or otherwise. One of our informal mantras is ‘try it,’ recognizing the importance of healthy risk taking, success and failure, as essential ingredients in personal growth.

Nicole Hood
Upper School Director

Explore the Upper School Curriculum

Bryn Mawr offers a robust and diverse curriculum that provides students with a strong foundation in the humanities, mathematics and science, arts and athletics. Upper Schoolers are required to study a wide variety of subjects and have the flexibility to discover and pursue their individual interests.

One of our primary goals as we work with our talented students is to foster critical and independent thinking. Students are encouraged at each step of their experience to develop their own questions as we consciously nurture in students the awareness that asking one's own question is often more valuable than answering someone else's. Bryn Mawr students are known for developing strong and well-founded opinions and for being confident in sharing them.

What's unique about our Upper School:

  • The Tri-School Coordination program allows juniors and seniors to take coed classes at Bryn Mawr, Roland Park Country School, and Gilman School and offers a wide array of classes and electives, unmatched by any single high school in the area
  • All 11th graders take public speaking in preparation for their Senior Convocation, a 15-minute speech delivered to the Upper School community on a topic of their choosing
  • Students can tinker and create in our state-of-the-art Innovation Lab
  • Gym Drill, a beloved tradition for more than 100 years, celebrates our community through cultural and ethnic dances and fun
  • Upper Schoolers can choose from seven world languages and numerous global exchange programs
  • One of the most popular parts of our signature afternoon program, Period Five Experiences (P5X) offer informal, drop-in opportunities almost every week for students and teachers to discuss current events, new ideas, and areas of interest. Both faculty and students can sign up to lead a P5X.

Whole Girl, Whole Day

At Bryn Mawr, we care for the whole girl for the whole day, which means that our students are nourished and supported in and out of class, and before, during and after the school day.

Learn more about our programs:

Explore the Upper School