High School

The Senior Year

Students enter this last leg of their four-year journey through High School with the knowledge that the sum total of their previous years' experience has prepared them well for the year ahead.
The senior year at Dalton possesses its own unique set of dynamics. While seniors are asked to assert their presence in a leadership capacity among the rest of the student body, they are also prompted to think beyond Dalton to their acceptance into college and their post-secondary studies. With so many possibilities to entertain and so many choices to make, senior year is only as limited as the extent of the students’ imagination and diligence.

Because seniors have fulfilled most of their distributional requirements towards graduation, they are encouraged to avail themselves of the many associative curricular and co-curricular opportunities to accommodate their individual needs and interests.

Senior Project

Dalton's Senior Project gives High School seniors the possibility of creating a special course of study that will allow them to unify their program in ways the curriculum may not ordinarily be able to achieve. Senior Project represents an extraordinary challenge and responsibility - one that is considered seriously. It is an educational opportunity that well may not present itself again until the final year at college.

Students who do a Senior Project must be enrolled in at least four academic courses as well. The project may not fulfill any specific department’s distributional requirements and must, if taken second semester, receive a passing grade in order for the senior to graduate.

Because of the special features, challenges, and risks of a Senior Project, planning begins early. Students discuss their ideas with their House Advisor, possible faculty advisors, and outside supervisors. As they approach the necessary deadlines for application, then, seniors have no more than the final details to arrange. These prescribed, preparatory procedures serve to clarify students’ thinking and to improve the overall quality of their projects. Each senior’s comprehensive project proposal elicits the careful and constructive suggestions of his or her faculty sponsor, House Advisor, and supervising department, and all Department Chairs.

Senior Initiative

The senior initiative program is open to all second semester seniors. The intention is to provide students with an opportunity during their last semester at Dalton to engage in a project that will provide a significant educational and intellectual experience through which to conclude their academic careers. Projects can take several forms, including the expansion of a senior project, an internship, an independent study, a group seminar focused on a specific scholarly topic, or enrollment in classes outside the school which offer specific experiences unavailable within the High School's existing curriculum.

To be accepted into the program, seniors must be in good academic standing in all their classes, as of the end of the third quarter of the year. Additionally, they must complete their community service requirement by the Monday following spring vacation and must have an attendance record to classes and House that is free of unexcused cuts or lateness.

Students are required to meet with their faculty advisors at least once a week throughout the duration of the program. 

Learn more in the High School Course Catalog.
(Grades K-3) 53 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128
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New York, NY 10128
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New York, NY 10128
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