Academic Overview

Academics
to inform
your future

At Walker’s, learning is a rigorous journey of intellectual growth and challenge.

Students learn to identify real-world challenges and create solutions while developing the skills that are essential for college, career, and global citizenship. Our learners take intellectual risks through persistence and resilience which helps them improve and grow as life-long learners. Ultimately, wisdom is gained through experience, mastery, and reflection.

We recognize that learning is greatly impacted by social interaction so central to teaching and learning at Walker’s is the development of deep and lasting relationships within the community. Social connections, formed within a culture of respect and trust, enable students’ individual growth and enhance our students’ understanding of their potential to affect those around them — and themselves.   

At Walker’s, we believe that demonstrable skills are the best measure of learning including literacy, critical thinking, a global perspective, taking initiative, leadership, collaboration, communication, and creativity.

Explore Our Upper School Curriculum
Meet Our Faculty

Our Philosophy of Learning

UPPER SCHOOL

Knowledge will always be important, but what you do with that knowledge is even more important. Walker’s high academic standards stretch students to the place where they are motivated to direct their own learning. Our faculty guide students as they develop essential skills to meet challenges and opportunities today — and in the future — in whatever areas of interest they choose to pursue.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

At The Ethel Walker Middle School, we place girls at the center of our educational design process. Girls thrive in our classrooms because they are afforded a sense of agency and a platform where they develop their voices and learn how to use them effectively to have a say in their own education. Math, science, history, English, creative arts, and world languages (Latin, Spanish, or French) are the core of the Walker’s Middle School curriculum.

Middle School Academics

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Signature Courses

Visiting Writer Seminar

Honors Scientific Research in Antibiotic Discovery (S-RAD)

S-RAD partners with Small World Initiative and Tiny Earth Network to inspire students in science while tackling global antibiotic shortage.

Visiting Writer Seminar

In Walker’s Visiting Writer Seminar, students have the special opportunity to immerse themselves in a study of one writer’s works. The course culminates with a visit by that person to the school for a series of master classes and a public reading to our community.

Advanced Scientific Research in Molecular Genetics (Stan-X)

Stan-X introduces students to fundamental concepts in molecular and cellular biology and genetics, in addition to laboratory and husbandry techniques specific to the fruit fly.

Advanced Feminism and Women’s History in America

This Advanced Feminist and Women’s History course challenges students to delve deeply into the powerful and often overlooked stories of women in United States history.

Advanced Multivariable Calculus

Advanced Multivariable Calculus covers college-level topics beyond high school calculus, including partial derivatives, double and triple integrals, vector fields, and integration over curves and surfaces.

Biology of Women

This course is an introduction to the biology of women and their specific health concerns. This class will also address social and economic factors that specifically affect women’s health and well-being.

Advanced Statistics Using R

In addition to learning data modeling and statistical inferences, students learn to code in the software environment R to run the statistical tests and generate the graphics, which they will then interpret and contextualize.

Equine Science

The Equine Science course is an intense equine biology class that encompasses the anatomy and physiology of all systems of the horse, including nutrition, toxicology, parasitology, health management, neonatology, epidemiology, and sports medicine.

ECE Courses Through University of Connecticut

Included in our Advanced offerings are several UConn Early College Experience (ECE) classes which award college credit.

Academic Advising

AdvisingWalker’s advisory program recognizes that a strong faculty-student relationship is an essential component of growth and development for every student. Through academic and social conversations throughout their time at Walker’s, advisors become transformative adults in the lives of our students.

Each Walker’s student in our Upper and Middle School is placed in a small advisory group composed of peers in grades 9–12 or in grades 7 and 8. Led by a Walker’s faculty member or administrator, these groups are units in which a student receives academic advice, learns about other cultures and forms lifelong friendships.

Advisors work with each of their advisees to form an academic plan and to sign up for courses. Serving as liaisons between students, families, and faculty members, advisors communicate frequently with families to provide updates on academic and social progress. When necessary, advisors take the lead on setting up academic support for advisees, whether in the form of extra help, peer tutoring, or professional tutors. Advisors also often serve as social support, ensuring that each advisee feels cared for and comfortable in classes, residence halls or on teams.

Through the advisory program, Walker’s recognizes that each student is an individual with their own goals and possibilities. While encouraging self-advocacy, advisors support students in the achievement of these goals.

Middle School Advisory

In Their Words

There is a great relationship between the advisor and student, but also between the advisor and parent. We don’t allow any child to fall through the cracks.

—Suzanne Piela P’22, '28, Science Faculty