Upper School Signature Programs

STEM Program

Indian Creek’s Upper School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program provides high-level studies in the sciences to students who apply and are selected to the program. STEM students explore a technical four-year curriculum designed to engage their minds with complex problem solving and extensive lab experience. They utilize these skills and design research projects of their own, culminating with the completion of a STEM thesis research project.

Global Online Academy

Indian Creek School is part of a consortium of leading independent schools around the world in the Global Online Academy (GOA). As one of only two members schools in Maryland (joined by Gilman School in Baltimore), ICS is able to offer students in Grades 9 -12 full access to GOA's online education course catalog, and a global community of students and learners.

Voros Senior Thesis

The Voros Thesis in the Humanities allows select students the opportunity to pursue a question within the scope of the humanities, that may have developed from various study throughout a student’s educational career. The process attempts to mimic that of a thesis paper that many of our students may experience as they pursue higher levels of education. In this way, our students are as prepared as possible for the academic rigor beyond high school.

Freshman Experience

From the ninth-grade interdisciplinary double-block course "A History and Science of Our World", to English 9 Seminar in which students explore identity, justice, and civil discourse, to our Learning Lab in which students develop the study habits needed for high school, every piece of the ninth grade experience is designed intentionally with the goal of establishing a foundation for a one-of-a-kind high school experience.

Academic Advising

Starting in Grade 9, students are paired with an academic advisor who knows and supports each of their advisees and families on their ICS academic journey. Advisors are the first point of contact for students and families, and the first layer in our student support network. Academic advisors partner with teachers, deans, and college counselors at school and with parents/guardians at home in supporting their advisees.

Human Development

Every Middle School and Upper School student at Indian Creek School takes our hallmark course, Human Development, every year. Focusing on each phase of cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development, students learn about themselves, their bodies, their brains, their identities, their decision-making, and how they interact with the world around them.