Academics
Academic Excellence
Bishop McNamara High School values academic excellence for all students, providing a challenging, diverse, and globally sensitive liberal arts curriculum where students learn to reason independently and think creatively to achieve success commensurate with ability and effort.
Bishop McNamara offers each student an individualized learning experience that meets and often exceeds the requirements for college admission or for other types of professional preparation. It does this through a dedicated faculty and more than 190 unique College-Preparatory, Honors, Advanced Placement, and STEM courses. The average class size is 18 and the student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1, with over 61% of Faculty having earned one or more Advanced Degrees.
Our Fine Arts department offers one of the most extensive arts programs in the Washington, DC area which includes Band and Orchestra, Choir, Classical Dance, African Dance & Music, Theatre and Theatre Tech, and Visual and Digital Arts programs.
Our rigorous academic curriculum includes
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190+ courses
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50 Honors courses
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17 Advanced Placement courses
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Online Courses
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5 Modern & Classical Languages options
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S.T.E.A.M. (STEM + Arts) Programs
Our academic departments graduate students who are:
SKILLED CRITICAL THINKERS ♦ PROBLEM SOLVERS ♦ CREATIVE INNOVATORS ♦ COLLABORATIVE LEARNERS
College-Preparatory Courses
College-Preparatory courses at Bishop McNamara High School help students meet the rigorous scholastic requirements for entry into colleges and universities. College-Preparatory courses may have an increased quantity of classwork, and expectations to achieve are at a higher level. These courses are particularly appropriate for providing the academic background needed for success in college or university degree programs.
Dedicated Faculty
We foster skills to develop the minds and hearts of our life-long learners by providing access to a curriculum with a variety of course offerings that supports the creativity and curiosity of all students.
The distinguished faculty and staff of Bishop McNamara average 14 years of professional experience in their respective fields, with 64% holding advanced degrees.
Advanced Placement Courses
Bishop McNamara Advanced Placement program offers rigorous college-level curricula and assessments to students in high school. Advanced Placement courses are offered in English language, English literature, calculus, statistics, computer programming, psychology, chemistry, biology, physics, French, Spanish, U.S. history and European history. Advanced Placement courses are also offered in music theory, Latin Vergil, Latin Poetry, and modern & classical language literature. For more information, go to Advanced Placement Program.
Whether it is Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, or Mathematics, Bishop McNamara provides engaging, hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities for our students beyond the classroom.
These might include internships, online courses, guest speakers, field trips or opportunities to travel abroad to experience the cultures of others.
Honors Courses
For students seeking an even more challenging learning experience, Bishop McNamara High School offers a broad selection of honors courses that fulfill basic graduation requirements in English, history, math, and science. The School’s numerous honors courses provide a more robust level of academic rigor. Honors courses are offered in English, mathematics, science, modern & classical languages, technology, social studies, and fine arts.
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