Oakwood Friends Upper School

The Oakwood’s Upper School serves students in grades 9 through 12 with a curriculum that asks students to think critically, to analyze and evaluate information carefully, and to be open to understanding new ideas.

In keeping with Oakwood’s mission is to educate the spirit, scholar, athlete, and artist in each student, all are encouraged to challenge themselves and be active participants in their learning. With so many opportunities, there are no pigeonholes here: the varsity athlete is also cast in the school play, the Calculus student also studies International Relations and the ceramicist takes a dive into Greek Philosophy. Both electives and year-long courses bridge traditional areas of study with contemporary global issues.

Students are required to engage in a wide breadth of courses and topics of study throughout their time here. Take a look at the extensive course guide:

Upper School Curriculum Guide

Global Affairs

Recognizing how rapidly and deeply the world is changing, Oakwood Friends School developed its intensive Global Affairs Certificate Program.
The program involves completing coursework with an international focus and asks its participants to continue advanced language courses. Many students take Mandarin as an additional option for language study. The program wraps up with individualized capstone research projects in the spring of senior year.

Throughout Oakwood’s educational program, connections to the larger global community can be found. Outside of class, students reinforce this with clubs like Model United Nations, Academic Worldquest, and Human Rights internships with the United Nations Association-Mid Hudson Valley. Our school community itself, with its wide and deep diversity reflects the desire we have to promote global understanding.

Technology & The Arts

Oakwood students enjoy an extremely high level of available technology to support their studies:

• High-speed Internet across campus for all students, both wired and wireless connections
• Digital art computer lab with 3D printer, 3D clay printer, and access to Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite
• Google Apps for education

Environmental Sciences

Wetlands Studies: Oakwood’s wetlands are a vibrant ecosystem teeming with life. They also represent a wonderful opportunity for students to do hands-on research. Most recently, we conducted biodiversity surveys, soil microbiota assays, and learned about how to manage invasive plant species. Students who are especially interested in ecology research even have the opportunity to work alongside David on restoration research projects outside of regular school hours. One summer research student even proposed an idea to reduce noise pollution in the wetlands, and we are now in the process of implementing her ideas.

APES: AP Environmental Science is a class in which students learn about our rapidly changing climate. This course covers a range of advanced ecology concepts alongside a litany of human activities which jeopardize our fragile environmental equilibrium. This class is taught in a fashion that encourages students to think about solutions to these problems, in the hopes that they will grow into conscientious protectors of our natural world.

Research: Oakwood is a school that strongly encourages students to conduct research. Our science department is made up of professionals who were career researchers prior to becoming teachers. They are able to teach students how to conduct graduate-level research, especially in our Science Research Intensive course. In this class, students spend a year conducting a research project of their choosing. Students have enjoyed wonderful outcomes as a result of this class, including being invited to work in private and medical school laboratories after finishing high school.

• In 2024-2025 Oakwood kicked off “Science Research Intensive” with 10+ students and a wide variety of projects. One project has yielded results at the university level with a 2025 graduate being offered a position at a research lab based on her epigenetics research at Oakwood.

• In Spring 2025, Oakwood’s Upper School Research Intensive students presented at an in-house conference with a range of titles

• Oakwood students enthusiastically participate in the Department of Environmental Conservation American Eel monitoring project, and each spring commit to 8-weeks of afternoon eel sampling at our assigned site – Enderkill Creek at Norrie Point State Park

• Each October, Oakwood students participate in the Day in the Life of the Hudson Program (also DEC) at our assigned sites.

• The Oakwood Climate Club hosted a very well-attended “Say No to Fast Fashion” Used Clothing Shot Day and Climate Education Event in October 2025. Six community organizations attended, including Poughkeepsie Climate Smart Task Force. 

• Our “Ecological Perspectives” course students are tackling Robin Wall Kimmerer’s classic Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants

Dual-Enrollment College Courses

dual enrollment courses in advanced mathematics, calculus, and statistics. These courses provide credit both toward high school graduation and on an official college transcript, giving students a head start on their college journey by experiencing the rigor of college-level academics while still supported in high school. Benefits include earning transferable college credits, saving time and tuition costs, and demonstrating to future colleges a strong readiness for higher-level study.

ESL

The ESL (English as a Second Language) Program at Oakwood Friends School provides a supportive learning environment and ample opportunity to practice the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing to students of intermediate-range language proficiency, with the goal of increasing skills in order to succeed academically at all levels of the Upper School program and college.

More on the International ESL Program

Academic Support Center

The Academic Support Center (ASC) supports the academic needs of students who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate learning differences, Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD) and/or Autistic Spectrum disorders.

More on the Academic Support Center 

Academics
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Upper School • Middle School • Arts Program • International Program and ESL • Learning Support • Global Affairs Program • The Libby Moroff Leadership Program • College Counseling Overview