Programs
Academics

Upper School (Grades 9-12)

Visualize Success

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  • Realize Your Full Potential

    In Upper School we encourage girls to develop their gifts and talents and to broaden their views about the world. Each member of the upper school teaching and learning community is motivated to encourage and support each girl as she develops into a self-reliant, intellectually curious, and ethically minded young woman. Girls embark on a transformational journey defined by a healthy balance of academics, leadership, and co-curricular activities. A challenging core curriculum is enhanced by an array of opportunities for every girl to excel in a way best suited to her talents and interests.

    Every girl is given the opportunity to discover her passion wherever it takes her. Each student is treated as an individual. We are equally vested in our girls’ intellectual, physical, and emotional well-being.

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  • Prepared to Succeed

    Upper school girls choose from a diverse course catalog including 50 Honors and Advanced Honors, and 21 Advanced Placement Courses to create an educational journey unique to their skills, talents, and interests. College counseling begins freshman year. Hutchison girls rank among National Merit and Advanced Placement scholars each year. Graduates secure merit scholarships and have their choice of the nation’s top colleges and universities.

  • Creating Relevant Learning Experiences

    All academic departments in the Upper School are intentional about creating opportunities for the learning experience in the classroom to connect to the larger world. Upper school teachers are committed to the tools of innovative, 21st century teachers; hands-on learning opportunities, global connections, and inter-disciplinary points of contact are embedded in every department.

    Outside the classroom, a robust internship and fellowship program, service learning opportunities, and global learning initiatives engage girls with the broader community in meaningful ways.

  • A Sense of Purpose

    Dedicated faculty leverage the recognized advantages of an all-girl learning environment, encouraging girls to take risks, lead, succeed. In an environment that celebrates diverse strengths, talents and interests, she will flourish into a resourceful, resilient young woman with a strong sense of purpose.

Curriculum

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  • English

    The goal of Hutchison’s English Department is to enable each girl to become a lifelong learner with intellectual discernment and curiosity—one who thinks critically and creatively, reads with engagement and empathy, writes clearly and fluently, and understands and respects the power of the written and spoken word. Discovering the vital link between literature and life, girls come to view reading, critical analysis, and independent research as personal and cultural engagements that generate ideas about the human condition.

  • History & Social Sciences

    The upper school history and social sciences program offers Hutchison young women a rich opportunity to engage in the craft of historians, psychologists, political scientists, geographers, and economists. Through careful investigation of primary and secondary source materials, experiences with projects and labs meant to foster open-ended inquiry, and student-driven discussions and debates, young women challenge and sharpen their intellectual curiosity and global views.

  • Mathematics

    Because the study of mathematics is a vital component of a young woman’s experience at Hutchison, as well as a critical subject area to master prior to graduation, all upper school girls are required to take four years of math. In each mathematics classroom, Hutchison young women learn a variety of methods to solve problems, and as they are guided through a series of questions that enable them to choose the best method to solve specific problems, the young women ultimately develop the skills necessary to formulate their own questions.

  • Science

    The ultimate goal of the Science Department is to give young women a broad-based education in science and to promote and nurture a culture of science—of observing, asking questions and pushing the boundaries of independent thinking. Our science students are well prepared for the next level in science whether future endeavors include a concentration in scientific arenas or extensive scientific literacy in an ever-increasing science and technology-based world.

  • World Languages

    Hutchison’s department of world languages encompasses both modern and ancient languages. The study of other languages and cultures enables students to develop a global perspective, become world citizens, and lead lives of meaning and purpose in a constantly changing world. The ability to communicate in a second language promotes the free exchange of ideas and worldviews, which in turn encourages students to accept and value intrinsic differences among cultures and to interact with others in a manner characterized by tolerance, courtesy, and respect.

  • Fine Arts

    The fine arts are an integral part of each girl’s experience at Hutchison. The arts actively engage girls in critical thinking and problem solving experiences and they develop and refine their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. In addition to providing opportunities for young women to voice opinions, explore personal concerns, and produce dynamic solutions to creative problems, the arts encourage diversity, inclusion, and exploration of the human experience and its cultures. Girls with aspirations of careers in dance, music, theatre, visual arts, or film, can advance their training to a pre-professional levels and earn a Certificate of Arts alongside their Hutchison diploma.

Course Offerings

RECENT NEWS

Upcoming Events

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Upper School

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  • Photo of Adrienne Forgette

    Adrienne Forgette 

    Upper School Head
  • Photo of Mary Nelson

    Mary Nelson 

    Director of Upper School Operations

Experience

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  • Life at Hutchison

    Learn more about the Hutchison experience and why a girl's school is your daughter's best opportunity to excel.

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  • Fueled by Creative Energy

    The renowned Certificate of Arts program and award winning theatre productions have propelled graduates to careers in the arts.
  • Real World Lessons Real World Lessons
    Upper school girls explore possible career paths and pursue passions outside the classroom through various internship and fellowship options.

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  • Anywhere She Can Imagine

    Graduates secure merit scholarships and rank among National Merit and Advanced Placement scholars each year.

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  • Connections for a Lifetime

    Daily advisory groups give girls guidance and encouragement from a caring adult and a small group of peers.

Come and experience

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  • Life at Hutchison

    Contact us today to tour our campus, meet with our admissions staff, and see the opportunities that Hutchison offers.

Hutchison School

1740 Ridgeway Road
Memphis, Tennessee 38119
Phone: (901) 761-2220

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Hutchison is the leading private girls school in Memphis for ages 2 years old through twelfth grade.