Connection. Shaped Daily.

Students and Teachers Connect, Share, Collaborate, and Learn from One Another 

Growth doesn’t happen all at once. It’s shaped daily: through a question that sparks a new idea, a teacher who challenges you to think differently, a classmate who offers another perspective, or a project that pushes you beyond what you thought you could do.

In the Upper School, students continue to explore their sense of self, refine their points of view, discover meaningful ways to care beyond themselves, and seek answers to big questions. At KO, deep learning is about far more than earning a good grade on a project or exam. Students grapple with complex issues while discovering their capacity to stretch themselves, academically and creatively.

Whether moving up from KO’s Middle School or entering 9th, 10th, or 11th grade, students are known and supported from the start. Faculty and advisors meet students where they are and challenge them to take the next step. Classes are designed to inspire curiosity, encourage deeper thinking, and help students make connections across disciplines and beyond the classroom.

Our Upper School classrooms are dynamic, engaging places where students don’t simply absorb information. They question, discuss, experiment, create, and collaborate. Exceptional teachers provide the guidance and space students need to master material while developing the confidence to explore ideas more deeply.

Students also have opportunities to demonstrate their understanding in ways that tap into their individual strengths and interests. A student might deliver an oral presentation, explore an idea through writing, design a solution, or build something from the ground up. This freedom makes learning more personal, purposeful, and memorable.

Curiosity. Confidence. Creativity. Connection. Shaped Daily.

“At KO, students are invited to take intellectual risks. They gain the courage to challenge each other’s views and their own way of thinking.”

—Steph Sperber, Upper School history teacher

A College-Prep Academic Program Enlivens Every Day, In Every Corner of KO Life.

• Interdisciplinary courses connect content, theory, and practice – forging intellectual pathways to create a new body of knowledge and skills.

• Students engage with the community through local partnerships and find new ways to have an impact.

• Students create co-curricular activities that align with their interests.

• Increasing independence gradually transfers responsibility for learning to each student.

• KO’s partnership with One Schoolhouse makes any course of study accessible.

• Varied and continually advancing coursework develops sophisticated thinking and assures continual growth.

• International travel opportunities extend the classroom through new cultures, languages, and customs – giving students important perspectives and understanding.

• Service learning in Paraguay through Team Tobati allows students to apply KO’s core value of “care beyond self.”