Academic Overview
Education at Quad Prep is firmly rooted in a deep understanding of the unique needs of twice-exceptional students and firmly grounded in the curricular philosophy and pedagogical practices of gifted education. Our curriculum follows a purposeful vertical progression across the grades and subject areas.
Twice-exceptional students are big picture thinkers—they have a conceptually advanced understanding of material and ask big questions to understand. They learn best when the material is enjoyable, engaging, and designed to enthuse.
Quad Prep’s curriculum is centered on thematic units organized around representative concepts, themes, and patterns of each discipline. There is ample room for deep questioning and exploration of the material, and ultimately for exploring the relationships and connections among disciplines. Curriculum compacting is utilized to replace “busy work” and content that students already understand with enrichment, extension, and talent development. Within each curricular unit, lessons are personalized for each student's learning style, talents, and interests.
For twice-exceptional students, learning should be ceilingless and personalized.
Personalized Learning
Quad Prep’s unique model includes:
- Weekly, scheduled 1:1 tutorials with teachers in the core academic subjects
- Mixed-age classes that allow for well-matched seminar groups
- Schedules that allow for movement between grades and classes, including accelerated learning opportunities
Talent Development
At Quad Prep, talent development is a vital part of gifted education and is deeply connected to academic growth. In our academic program, talent development goes beyond enrichment—it becomes a lens through which learning is personalized and made meaningful.
Students are encouraged to delve deeply into areas of interest, take ownership of their learning, and apply their strengths across subjects. Through flexible curriculum pathways, differentiated instruction, a wide array of electives, and enrichment opportunities and different pathways for exploring real-world issues, academics become a platform for discovering and developing each student’s unique abilities. This integrated approach ensures that intellectual challenge is paired with purpose, engagement, and personal growth.
Opportunities for talent development projects (project-based learning) are found throughout the school day at Quad Prep.
- Integrated into the group curriculum
- Explorations and extension activities within the curriculum
- Electives starting in Kindergarten
- Student Clubs and Lunch affinity groups
- After School Programming
- IDEAlab: For one hour every week, the regular school day is paused and students, grouped by similar interests or talents, tackle talent development projects
- Senior Capstone Project: Centered around one student, with a special advisor and mentor and specialized EF coaching, a student spends the year deep in a project that is authentic and of extreme interest to the student
Direct Instruction of “21st Century” Skills
At Quad Prep, 2e students engage in direct instruction of essential 21st-century skills—including critical thinking, executive functioning strategies, and investigative methods—that support their success across academic disciplines. These foundational skills are explicitly taught and reinforced through purposeful lessons, helping students learn how to analyze information, manage complex tasks, and approach problems with curiosity and structure. Our inquiry-based classes and interdisciplinary units provide a dynamic space for students to apply these tools in meaningful ways, encouraging deep exploration, collaboration, and reflection. This combination of direct instruction and inquiry ensures that students build both the skills and confidence needed to navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
A not-for-profit independent college preparatory school, Quad Prep’s rich and robust curriculum engages, challenges, and inspires students at all levels, K–12, through our Lower School and Upper School programs.