Arlington School faculty hold professional licensure in their respective fields. They are all Massachusetts certified with graduate degrees in their individual areas of knowledge. Some faculty members hold additional certification in Moderate Special Needs, Grades 7-12.

Our curriculum is fully aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, implemented with a great deal of flexibility in presentation, emphasis and calendar. Our students come from school systems with varying graduation requirements, so we also keep our curriculum in sync with the curriculum of the sending school.  In addition, students must pass the state-mandated Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests. Students who satisfactorily complete high-school requirements earn a diploma, from the Arlington School or from the student’s high school of record.

The Arlington School handbook outlines our curriculum plan for grades nine through twelve. We now offer a seventh and eighth grade as well.

Courses are offered through the following departments: English Language Arts, Mathematics, History, Science, Visual and Performing Arts, Health and Fitness and Study Skills. Course progression is organized by grade, but often students come to us with educational gaps. Students at Arlington School have a chance to experience a more consistent education because we have the flexibility to adjust curriculum to accommodate social and emotional issues that would otherwise interrupt learning.

Our curriculum was reviewed for the DESE restructuring in 2006, and through the NEASC Self-Study in 2009. We are constantly evaluating new tools and materials to advance the program. We currently use varied learning tools, including computers, SmartBoards, interactive video, text books, laboratory activities, distance learning courses, hands-on projects, digital media, art and drama throughout the curriculum.

Frequently learning happens across curriculum boundaries, therefore we offer cross-curricular activities.  School-wide activities have addressed current themes in the larger culture.  Greening the school and presidential politics are recent examples of this.  In addition, Studio Art and English Language Arts faculty jointly offer a series of mini-electives that join art and creative writing. In our InSPIRE program (In Science Program in Research and Education), McLean Hospital specialists lecture to the entire school community on a variety of subjects—sleep, nutrition, brain physiology, drugs and the brain, science careers.