Waterloo's Unique Schedule

A "Learning-Centered" Approach

The Problem with Traditional School Days

Adults' work days don’t have 7 or 8 bell-driven 50-minute chunks of time unrelated to one another, so why do we make kids do school that way?

The typical high school schedule is ‘content-centered’ — designed around lecturing, the most efficient method for delivering ‘content’ but also the least effective way to learn.

A content-centered schedule often results in:

  • A hurried, frenetic day
  • Shallow study
  • Unnecessary stress
  • Busy work
  • Lost time (transitions time and attention residue)
  • More homework
Common High School Schedule Diagram

A Schedule Built for Focus (Quality Over Quantity)

Adults' work days don’t have 7 or 8 bell-driven 50-minute chunks of time unrelated to one another, so why do we make kids do school that way?

Our schedule follows the best research for a ‘learning-centered’ schedule: Instead of studying 6-7 subjects spread out over the course of an entire school year, students study only two subjects in a single trimester. They earn the same number of credits each year, but learn more.

The Waterloo school day begins at 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. Monday through Thursday, students study one subject before lunch and another subject after, with the school day ending at 3 p.m.

This learner-centered schedule results in:

  • Slower, deeper study,
  • Focused, engaged learning
  • Purposeful work
  • 20% more real learning time
Waterloo Schedule Diagram

How Fridays Work

Fridays at Waterloo look a little bit different.

The traditional content-based schedule doesn’t provide the time we need for growth, production, and learning. It's no secret that many teens and families find their after-school hours crammed with homework and extracurriculars.

We all benefit from a break from routine. That's why Fridays at Waterloo our reserved for:

  • Advisory
  • Academic tutoring
  • Student life activities
  • Developing skills and making progress in service and school projects
  • Pre-approved educational, internship, or extracurricular activities off-campus

It's no secret: you can't plan for everything! Fridays are a valuable time for students to practice time management as they develop the personal qualities found in our Portrait of a Graduate.

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