Girard College - Program

Program

All students live in single-sex dormitories arranged by grade level. Residential advisers occupy apartments in the dorm buildings, creating a caring, familial atmosphere for students. Girard requires that all students participate in the five-day program for the full benefit of its academic and residential curricula. Many students whose families live nearby choose to go home on weekends. There are occasions when children stay on campus on weekends. Girard offers supervised weekend activities, such as sports, social events, trips, community service, study time, and tutoring. Girard is open to students of all religious backgrounds. Twice a month at the beginning of the school day, all students attend nondenominational services in the school’s chapel, offering a forum for spiritual and moral development.

Entering 2010, student enrollment at Girard is 549; of these, 183 are Lower School students (grades 1-6) and 366 attend the Upper School (grades 9-12). Girard employs 127 faculty members; 71 are academic teachers and 56 are residential advisers. Class sizes range between 12 and 20 students in the elementary school and 16-22 students in the middle school. In the high school, advance-placement classes average 9 students, honors classes 15 students, and regular classes 20 to 25 students.

Girard’s performance-based curriculum is in accordance with national standards. All grade levels and subject areas have specific benchmarks and content standards that measure successful student outcomes and achievements. Girard is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It also holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Boarding Schools, and the Coalition for Residential Education

Virtually all Girard graduates are accepted into colleges and universities with approximately 95% continuing to higher-education institutions. Schools most frequently attended by Girard students include Drexel University, Pennsylvania State University, and Temple University. In recent years, top Girard students have enrolled at Columbia University, Cornell University, George Washington University, Howard University, New York University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Ursinus College, Villanova University, and Washington University.