High School
The Academic Program at TASIS has preparation for university study as its primary goal. This goal includes the academic rigor of a broad and deep curriculum, learning the habits of scholarship and intellectual inquiry, combining the essential ideas and values of the classical Western tradition and world cultures with the dynamic changes of the modern world, and developing a moral and ethical basis for approaching current and future perspectives. Because of this, academics at TASIS have always been given the highest priority by both the school's dedicated teachers and the administration. TASIS offers the International Baccalaureate (IB), the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, and English as an Additional Language (EAL) courses.
The school year is divided into two semesters: September through December, and January through May. Grade reports are sent to families six times each year. The curriculum includes an In-Program Travel program, day and weekend class trips, and a January Ski Week, when the school relocates for one week to Crans-Montana.
In addition to the daily classroom instruction, there is teacher-supervised study on Sunday through Thursday evenings in the dormitories. There are also specific on-campus study help centers staffed by teachers for Mathematics, Writing, and Modern Languages. TASIS is a testing center for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and TOEFL exams. In addition, TASIS provides an extensive assessment and interview process, beginning in the 10th Grade, in preparation for university application and admission. This program is led by the College Counseling Office, and is directly supported by teachers, advisors, the Academic Dean, and the IB Coordinator.
What TASIS High School students from around the world say:
from the USA:
"TASIS is the ideal place to receive a high school education. I had a very good education in the United States, but there is a difference that puts TASIS miles ahead of any other education I've had and most likely will ever receive: its location. In my old school, I would learn of the cultures of the Japanese, French, and Brazilians; now I am friends with people from these cultures. In the United States I would see pictures of the Mona Lisa, the David, and the Eiffel tower; now I am a short train ride away from all these things. Not only is TASIS located in one of the most beautiful places in the world, but it is also placed in the middle of the bread basket of Western Civilization. At TASIS the world is our textbook."
from Italy:
"I was thinking about how much TASIS really has changed me, and I realized that my eyes and heart have been introduced to something they never knew before. I have never been in such an international culture, and before this, I never even imagined sitting in my economics class between a girl from Yugoslavia and a boy from Poland, and in front of me sits Mohammed, who's from Saudi Arabia. All of this has made me much more sensitive to what is happening in the world; it is not just that ?a plane crashed in Russia?. Now it sounds more like ?a plane crashed where some of my friends live?, and thus, it all affects me much more deeply. However, I think that the most important thing that I have learned here during these last three years is that the world in general sees differences between people in the wrong way. What I see and love here is that people use differences between them to learn, not to discriminate."
Please contact TASIS Admissions or Academic Dean, John Nelson for more information about our High School Academic Year program.
