Curriculum Guidelines
Graduation Requirements
Students are required to take seven courses each semester. These courses will normally include the core academic areas of: English, Mathematics, Science, and History. Additional enrichment courses will be chosen by the student, his/her family and the shcool.Course Semester Credits
| English | 8 semester credits |
| Senior Seminar | 1 semester credit |
| Social Studies | 6 semester credits |
| Government | 1 semester credit |
| Mathematics | 6 semester credits |
| Science | 6 semester credits |
| Fine Arts | 2 semester credits |
| Physical Ed./ Health Ed. | 2 semester credits |
Total Credits needed: 42 academic credits
Other Program Requirements Athletics
Year-round participation in recreational activites required.
Students must pass all semester and full year courses during their senior year, successful completion of all responsibilities (such as work program, projects, ect.), and fulfill all financial obligations in order to graduate.
To earn a diploma from The Leelanau School, students are required to successfully complete a minimum of four years of English; three years of Science and three years of Social Studies, one semester of Government; Mathematics, through Algebra II; and one year of Fine Arts.
Academic Honors
Dean's List
High Honors
Students who receive a 3.5 GPA with no grade below C in any class for the semester.
Honors
Students who receive a 3.0 GPA with no grade below C in any class for the semester.
Valedictorian, Salutatorian and Top Scholars
Seniors with the first and second highest cumulative GPA's and are enrolled for a minimum of three semesters at Leelanau are awarded the academic honors of Valedictorian and Salutatorian for a given school year. In addition, juniors, sophomores and freshmen who have the highest cumulative GPA's after a minimum of one semester are given the honor of top scholars for their classes. All cumulative GPA's are based on semester grades earned in high school (grades 9-12).
The only grades that are considered for the cumulative GPA are letter grades earned from Leelanau and from other schools in the USA that are transferred to a Leelanau transcript. Also, only the Leelanau courses that are considered “honors” or “advanced placement” are given a 0.3 and 0.5 weight respectively. All other letter grades are given numerical equivalents as described in The Leelanau School Handbook, section 5.4.
These awards are presented at the annual year-end ceremonies. The Valedictorian is expected to give a speech at the Graduation ceremony and the Salutatorian is expected to give a speech at the Lawn & Tree ceremony.
Departmental Awards
Each year at the Lawn and Tree Ceremony, there are Departmental Awards that recognize the top student in the various academic areas. These awards are typically awarded to seniors and include the following categories: English, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Mathematics, and Fine Arts.
National Honor Society
The purpose of the National Honor Society is "to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership and to encourage the development of character" in students. Membership is open to Juniors and Seniors who have completed at least two full semesters at Leelanau and who demonstrate the personal qualities of scholarship, leadership, service and character.