Program Overview

Introduction to the BASIS Curriculum

The BASIS Curriculum, refined for over two decades, educates students to the highest international levels. After the first BASIS Curriculum School opened in 1998, the academic program quickly gained notoriety for its breadth, depth, and ability to successfully teach high-level content and critical thinking to students at a young age.

Curriculum Standards

• 4 AP exams in core subjects required to graduate
• 7.5 total hours/week spent in chemistry, physics, and biology in grades 6–8
• 2 minimum hours/week teachers reserve for after school student support

Education Redefined

At BASIS Independent Schools, education redefined rests on three pillars:

• A curriculum educating students to the highest international levels
• Expert teachers who are knowledgeable, passionate, and believe that with the right support and encouragement, any child can excel
• A joyful learning culture where hard work is celebrated and intellectual pursuits result in extraordinary outcomes

The BASIS Diploma

The BASIS Diploma prepares students to be participants, not spectators, in our dynamic, exciting, and unpredictable world. By challenging and equipping students with deep content knowledge and keen organizational skills, we're helping them become more confident in their intellectual abilities.

Early Years

We encourage early learners' natural propensity to question, to create, and to discover. Our Discovery Blocks of Learning curriculum exposes students to everything from social studies to self-care skills, mathematics and Mandarin, to expressive arts.

Primary Years (Grades 1–3)

During the Primary Years, our curriculum emphasizes the connections between students' seemingly discrete subjects of humanities, math & science, engineering, performing arts, music, Mandarin, fine art, and physical education. Students benefit from a unique co-teaching model as they move from class to class for the first time.

Bridge Years (Grades 4–5)

Students are taught exclusively by Subject Expert Teachers, many of whom hold advanced degrees. The spiraled curriculum features classes that are 50 minutes long, with humanities breaking into English and history, and math & science also taught separately.

Intermediate Years (Grades 6–8)

In the Intermediate Years, students complete a rigorous schedule in all core disciplines, including three separate, concurrent science classes (biology, chemistry, and physics), and a world language. Students can choose an elective beginning in grade 6 and a world language option beginning in grade 7.

High School Years

In the High School years, the world-renowned BASIS Curriculum is unmatched in breadth and depth. Under the guidance of passionate Subject Expert Teachers, students gain the best possible preparation for college and hone skills and habits through critical thinking opportunities typically reserved for university-level studies.

Disciplines

Humanities

The humanities curriculum begins with the building blocks of literacy and quickly helps students establish a strong foundation in reading, writing, and historical awareness.

Math & Science

All students take high-level mathematics courses earlier than usual, and begin learning chemistry, physics, and biology as separate courses in grade 6. Graduates have passed all three sciences at the Honors level and have completed at least one Advanced Placement (AP) math and science course.

Interdisciplinary Studies

Interdisciplinary coursework is present throughout the program, from a dedicated hands-on class in the Primary Years called "Connections" where cross-subject discovery is a key objective, to Bridge Years courses like Classics and Physical Geography, through High School Economics, and on to independently developed and investigated Senior Projects.

Language

All BASIS Curriculum Schools require students to master the foundations of World Languages, as well as study the influence and applications of language in various fields. Students begin with Mandarin in the Early and Primary Years, continue on to Latin in the Bridge Years, and conclude with the study of Latin, Mandarin, French, or Spanish in the Intermediate and High School Years.

The Arts

The arts inspire students to develop creative, innovative ideas, encourage different modes of self-expression, and help students make meaningful aesthetic connections between themselves and the world. Students take classes in fine arts, performing arts, and music.

Physical Education

In the BASIS Curriculum's Physical Education and Movement courses, students learn to maintain healthy bodies, lifestyles, and attitudes through physical activity, organized sports, fitness, and dance.

Enrichment & Electives

In the Early and Primary Years, students learn the basics of the engineering design process and how to apply that framework in various academic contexts. In the Intermediate Years, Academic Enrichment (AE) is introduced as a vital component of the students' day as they meet with teachers and get a start on homework.

Self-Advocacy & Autonomy

Helping students manage their time and schoolwork effectively is essential to our academic model. The Communication Journal (CJ) is a critical tool in developing students with life-long habits of self-direction and disciplined, critical enquiry. It is an analog daily planner that serves as a record of students' previous and upcoming responsibilities and a way to keep track of their areas for improvement.