Academic Curriculum

In the Middle School, Grades 7-9, full-year requirements are as follows:

• English
• History
• Mathematics
• Science
• World Languages

In the Middle School, Physical Education, and wellness course requirements are as follows: 

• Grade 7: one semester of Health 7 + MAPS and one semester of Physical Education
• Grade 8: one semester of Physical Education and one semester of MAPS 8
• Grade 9: one semester of Health

In the Middle School, Fine Arts requirements are as follows: 

• Grade 7 and 8: students can elect from a number of fine arts electives during 7th and 8th Grade. 
• Grade 9: one year of Visual or Performing Arts. Semester courses must be taken in the same area and must be sequential classes. 

The following are graduation requirements to be completed in Grades 9-12: 

• English: each semester (American Studies may be substituted for English II). 
• Mathematics: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II; three years of mathematics. 
• History and Social Sciences: United States History and Modern World History. 
• Science: three year-long science lab courses (Grade 9 Biology required; Grade 10 Chemistry required). 
• World Languages: French, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, or Spanish language (at least two years of the same language through Level 3). 
• Health Education: two semesters of Health (one in Grade 9 and one in Grade 11).
• Emergency Preparedness: one semester of Emergency Preparedness and Water Safety.
• Physical Education: the requirement for students not participating on a Marlborough athletic team will be to complete 20 hours of drop-in classes/workouts per semester created by the Sports Performance Coach or to sign up for a semester-long course offering (Emergency Prep, Dance, Mustang Power Hour, Self-Defense, Yoga, etc.). 
• Fine Arts: one full year in Grade 9, and two additional semesters in Grades 10-12. Semester courses in Dance can be taken to fulfill either a Fine Arts or P.E. requirement. 

These are minimum requirements and many colleges to which Marlborough sends its graduates strongly recommend one year of mathematics beyond Algebra II (especially in the Senior year); through level IV or AP of one World Language, or any combination of two years of one and three of another World Language; two additional semesters of History and Social Sciences; two semesters in the Fine Arts; and electives in the Sciences. Choices depend on the student’s interests, on the kind of record the student wishes to present to colleges, and on the breadth the student desires in education. All departments offer courses beyond the level of preparation for college. 

Marlborough students may opt to take College Board Advanced Placement tests in May. Tests are not offered on campus for AP classes that are not taught at Marlborough by Marlborough instructors. Students who score a 3, 4, or 5 on the Advanced Placement examinations may receive college credit or advanced placement at the college level. Advanced Placement examinations are offered in Art History, Studio Art (4), Biology, Calculus (AB and BC), Chinese Language, English Literature, Environmental Science, French Language, Physics (C), Spanish Language, Statistics, United States History, and World History. 

Students wishing to challenge themselves beyond the Advanced Placement level may choose to take the following courses: Honors Computer Science Projects, Honors English Seminar, Honors Humanities Seminar, Honors Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations, Honors Mathematics Seminar, Advanced Topics in Chemistry, Advanced Topics in Chinese Culture, Advanced Topics in French & Francophone Culture, Advanced Topics in Hispanic and Hispanophone Culture, Honors Research in the Humanities, Honors Research in Science, Honors Research in the Social Sciences. 

In the rare instance where a student has taken all of the courses within an academic department, they may opt to enroll in a Special Studies course to continue their pursuit of topics that extend beyond the most challenging courses offered within our academic program. Students' first point of contact must be the Division Head, who will then advise the student towards the most appropriate course of action. Special Studies are ungraded, pass/no pass opportunities that are reserved for Juniors and Seniors who are interested in continuing their study of a specific discipline and whose plan has been officially approved by the Division Head.