Seoul Science High School is a public school for gifted students (ages 15–18) interested in science. The school was established in 1989, and is located at Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is one of the nineteen science high schools in Republic of Korea. In 2009, it has become an 'academy for gifted students' selected by the ministry of education of Korea. Now it is one of the four such academies in Republic of Korea.
The school accepts its intake from the top 0.01% of middle school graduates. Before the transition, there were about 180 students in each grade, but the number decreased to 156. The general program was a three-year course, but an early graduation program existed. About one-third of sophomore students graduated one year earlier than typical high school students.
However, after the transition to 'academy for gifted students', students in each grade have decreased to 120, and the curriculum has set again to fulfill the need and curiosity of students. The new curriculum includes of the following :
- Non-graded, credit-based graduation system
- Strengthening research activities to develop creativity
- Interdisciplinary curriculum
- Focusing on advanced courses
- Geared to the level and aptitude of each individual
- Various programs for whole-person education
In order to achieve graduation, a student must fulfill 170 credits in overall course work, which consists of 140 credits on academic course and 30 credits on research. Also, the student must fulfill at least 240 hours on special activities: 120 hours on group activity, and 120 hours on volunteer work.
The school has many national and international Science Olympiad participants and medal winners. Usually a quarter to a half of the Korean participants in the International Science Olympiads are from Seoul Science High School.
Graduates from this school typically enter Seoul National University, KAIST, and POSTECH. Some students enroll to colleges abroad such as MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, and Cornell.. Many alumni have undertaken graduate studies at top institutions in Korea, U.S., and Europe after earning their bachelor's degrees.
The school motto is "Intelligence and Righteous Action" (예지의행, 叡智義行).
Famous quotes containing the words high school, science, high and/or school:
“There were metal detectors on the staff-room doors and Hernandez usually had a drawer full of push-daggers, nunchuks, stun-guns, knucks, boot-knives, and whatever else the detectors had picked up. Like Friday morning at a South Miami high school.”
—William Gibson (b. 1948)
“What is done for science must also be done for art: accepting undesirable side effects for the sake of the main goal, and moreover diminishing their importance by making this main goal more magnificent. For one should reform forward, not backward: social illnesses, revolutions, are evolutions inhibited by a conserving stupidity.”
—Robert Musil (1880–1942)
“It is very comforting to believe that leaders who do terrible things are, in fact, mad. That way, all we have to do is make sure we don’t put psychotics in high places and we’ve got the problem solved.”
—Tom Wolfe (b. 1931)
“The child to be concerned about is the one who is actively unhappy, [in school].... In the long run, a child’s emotional development has a far greater impact on his life than his school performance or the curriculum’s richness, so it is wise to do everything possible to change a situation in which a child is suffering excessively.”
—Dorothy H. Cohen (20th century)