Upper Grades

A unique program to prepare high-school-aged students to thrive in a future we cannot yet imagine

Opening in fall 2021, our upper grades program harnesses the power of experiential, interdisciplinary and project-based learning to develop students who are curious, creative and uniquely equipped to meet the challenges of the future. The program provides a 100% English language environment, with all classes taught in English to prepare students for postsecondary education overseas. Highlights include:

Interdisciplinary, project-based learning across STEAM and humanities

Mentorship for the pursuit of passions and individual interests

World-class college counseling to prepare students for higher education overseas

GREAT WORKS

Avenues’ signature interdisciplinary project-based learning experience, encompassing STEAM, humanities, and global studies

Great Works blends project-based pedagogy (inspired by programs at Stanford’s d.school and MIT) with a great books curriculum (in the spirit of core curricula at Columbia University and the University of Chicago) to provide transformative learning experiences in connection with the themes of discovery, innovation and foresight. In multi week units of study, students read thoughtfully paired texts—integrating the subjects of English, history, global studies, science, art, design, engineering and mathematics—while completing hands-on projects related to their reading. The result is a rare combination of academic depth and interdisciplinary breadth: great works both read and created.

PROBLEM-BASED MATH

Building perseverance, collaboration and lifelong problem-solving skills

Our problem-based mathematics program is taught in English with an emphasis on collaboration, communication and small-group discussion. Course content is challenging and includes applied mathematics problems connected to the interdisciplinary Great Works program.

MASTERY

Giving every student an opportunity to find and pursue his or her passion

We pledge to graduate students who are confident because they excel in a particular passion, and we provide students with the space, time, and resources to first identify and then pursue that passion in depth. In the Mastery Program, students dedicate a full day of their week to personalized learning experiences co-designed with their mentors and coaches. Mastery can take many forms and is customized for each student to ensure deep and purposeful learning.

THE DEANS PROGRAM

The deans at Avenues are full-time mentors whose sole responsibility is the social-emotional wellbeing and academic success of their students. Working closely with faculty and acting as a point of contact for parents, deans ensure that students are fully supported and appropriately challenged at school.

WORLD-CLASS COLLEGE COUNSELING

Access to Avenues’ global network of college counseling expertise

We are serious about guiding our students to colleges and universities where they will thrive. As a part of Avenues’ global network, students at Avenues Shenzhen will benefit from our proven college counseling expertise, which has guided more than 260 graduates of Avenues to some of the world’s most prestigious colleges, including Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. The relationships that we have nurtured with colleges and universities around the world, and the resources that we have developed for our students will be fully available to our students in Shenzhen.

AN ENVIRONMENT TO INSPIRE

A dedicated facility purpose-built for a new kind of education

The upper grades program will be housed in its own dedicated space at Avenues’ second location in Shenzhen, located in Sunmax Technology Park. The facility was custom-designed to meet the needs of our unique program and enable our students and faculty to build the kind of close and supportive community you might find in a startup incubator. With a mixture of bright and spacious project studios, welcoming student commons, roundtable seminar rooms, and flexible study spaces, the environment is fully conducive to the collaboration, ideation, and creativity that are at the heart of the program.

The Fundamentals

The upper grades program at Avenues Shenzhen purposefully and thoughtfully blurs the lines between academic disciplines, while ensuring that students graduate with solid foundational skills and knowledge of relevant content areas. The program’s components include:

Great Works: interdisciplinary STEAM and humanities
- English
- Chinese
- History
- Global Studies
- Science
- Art
- Design
- Engineering
- Math
Problem-based and applied mathematics
Mastery Program: personalized pursuits
Expert college counseling
Athletics

The Avenues World Elements

How does Avenues equip its students to become future world-wise leaders? The Avenues World Elements table is our answer to that question. Designed by our research and development team, the Avenues World Elements is a global curricular system that defines the learning outcomes of Avenues students at all grade levels.

Explore the Avenues World Elements

Admissions Process

We’re grateful for your interest and want you to have all the information you need to consider Avenues for your child. Click the links to navigate to the admissions section of the site, where you can find out more about the process, meet the admissions team, and begin an application.

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