The Nine-Term Schedule

An Academic Year Designed Around the Student

When families begin exploring schools for students with diverse learning profiles, one question often comes up:

How will my child's schedule support the way they learn?

At Eagle Hill School, the answer begins with our academic schedule.

Rather than organizing the school year around traditional semesters or trimesters, Eagle Hill uses a flexible matrix of six daily class periods across nine academic terms. This unique structure gives us the flexibility to design each schedule around a student’s individual learning profile while ensuring every course is taught in the format that best supports its curriculum.

It's one of the many ways Eagle Hill creates an educational experience that is personalized, responsive, and centered on the student.

What Is the Nine-Term Schedule?

Unlike a traditional school calendar, where every class follows the same schedule, Eagle Hill's nine-term model allows individual courses to begin, meet, and conclude according to the needs of the curriculum and the students enrolled.

This flexibility allows us to:

• Build individualized schedules for every student.
• Place students in classes based on multiple factors, including academic skills, interests, social development, and learning preferences.
• Offer very small class classes, averaging six students.
• Create a program where students receive the right level of support and challenge in every subject.

Because of this approach, no two student schedules at Eagle Hill are exactly alike.

An Academic Program Built Around the Individual

Students with dyslexia, ADHD, and other language-based learning differences often develop skills at different rates across subject areas. A student's strengths in one discipline may not reflect where support is needed in another.

The nine-term schedule allows Eagle Hill to build an academic program that reflects those differences.

For example, it is not unusual for a student to participate in a reading tutorial while taking Algebra II or Trigonometry. Another student may be strengthening foundational math skills while enrolled in advanced literature and writing classes.

Rather than placing students into a fixed sequence based solely on grade level, Eagle Hill designs schedules that reflect each student's individual strengths, needs, and goals.

Flexibility That Supports Learning

The nine-term schedule provides the flexibility to organize courses in ways that best support student learning. Instead of fitting every class into the same semester or trimester model, each course can be scheduled according to its instructional goals.

This approach works alongside Eagle Hill's individualized placement process, small class sizes, and close collaboration among teachers, advisors, and families to create an academic program that evolves with each student's growth.

The result is a schedule that supports meaningful progress while recognizing that learning is not one-size-fits-all.

Individualized Instruction in Every Class

The nine-term schedule is one part of Eagle Hill's broader approach to individualized education. Combined with very small classes and skill-based placement, it allows teachers to provide instruction that is responsive to each student's learning profile.

Students benefit from:

• Small class sections that encourage active participation.
• Instruction tailored to individual learning styles and academic needs.
• Placement based on multiple measures rather than grade level alone.
• A program designed to help students build both academic skills and confidence.

Together, these elements create an environment where students are known, supported, and challenged every day.

Preparing Students for What's Next

The purpose of the nine-term schedule is simple: to create an academic program that meets students where they are and helps them continue to grow.

As students develop stronger academic skills, they also gain confidence, independence, and a better understanding of how they learn best. Those experiences prepare them not only for college, but for lifelong learning and self-advocacy.

Learn More

The nine-term schedule is one of the many ways Eagle Hill School personalizes education for students with learning differences.

To learn more about our nine-term schedule, visit our Course Planning page.

Course Planning >>

You can also watch this brief video explaining how the nine-term schedule works.

Watch the Video >>