ACADEMICS

Academics  Information

Graduation Requirements: First Presbyterian Day School provides for two tracks of curriculum options. To graduate in the college-preparatory track, a student must complete a minimum of 22 ½ units: 4 units in English; 4 units in math; 3 units in science; 3 units in social studies; 2 units in a foreign language; Bible each year;  1 unit of Specified Elective, 1 in PE/health and 1 general elective.  To graduate in the honors track, 23 ½  units are required and a student must complete the following: 4 units of English (including 1 AP class); 4 units of math (including either pre-calculus and/or calculus); 4 units of science (including either physics, advanced chemistry, advanced biology and/or AP Biology); 3 units of social studies (including either AP US History and/or AP European History and/or AP Government); 2 units of the same foreign language; Bible each year; 1 unit of Specified Elective; 1 unit of PE/health and 1 general elective.

Grading System:  First Presbyterian Day School operates on a two-semester calendar year.  A semester consists of two-nine week grading periods, concluding with the semester examination, which constitutes one-fifth of the semester grade.  The final grade for the year is determined by the average of the two semester grades.  Three points are added to the nine week average in the AP classes and 2 points are added per nine weeks to the average in Honors classes.  

                                                             Grading Scale                                                              Grading Scale (2006 and beyond)

National Testing: Annually our elementary school our students take the norm referenced CTP4; while the junior high students take the norm referenced Stanford Achievement Test. At the high school level, our ninth graders take the PLAN (PACT) and the students in the tenth and eleventh grades take the PSAT.

Since 1975, First Presbyterian Day School has had 107 students receive recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation: 31 semi-finalists,

26 finalists, 72 commended and 6 received Special National Merit Scholarships.

Our seniors take the ACT and/or the SAT for college admissions purposes and perform well on these tests. 

Over an 8 year period, one third or more of our graduates scored above 600 on either the verbal or math portions of the SAT.

Percent of students scoring above 600 on SAT subtests

 Note:  As a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, we adhere to the NACAC Principles of Good Practice, which requires schools to refrain from publishing mean or median college admission test scores.

College Admission Testing

Advanced Placement Courses

FPD students have the opportunity to earn college credit through acceptable performance on the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations.  We offer AP courses in Biology, Calculus AB & BC, US History, European History, English Literature & Composition, English Language & Composition, Latin, French Language, Spanish Language, and Goverernment. 

Last year 120 students took 219 AP exams with over 50% scoring 3 or better.   Twenty five (25) of our students were recognized by the AP Scholar program for outstanding performance on three or more exams.

Elementary Standardized Achievement Tests

In our elementary school, students take the CTP 4 Achievement Test in the spring.  At each grade level, more that two-thirds of our students score among the top 25% of students nationally (i.e., above the third quartile).

Graduate Profiles

2007

Class of 2007 Profile: The 74 graduates of the Class of 2007 are attending 27 different colleges & universities in 8 states.  20% are attending colleges outside the State of Georgia · 90% are attending four-year colleges · 10% are attending two-year colleges. Academically, the two students who set the bar for excellence were Whitney Williams, Valedictorian, who entered Ga Tech, and Alie Viviani, our Salutatorian who entered the Univ of Ga.. Joby Peake was named a Commended Student and was also our Star Student. Joby attends Auburn University on a Presidential Scholarship. Among the many scholarships extended to this class, at least three received athletic scholarships in swimming and cross country.  8 of the athletic teams became region champs  - girls’ basketball,  softball, girls’ soccer, boys and girls track, football, wrestling and boys’ cross country.  Two continued on to become state runner up in  softball and girls’ swimming while 4 teams, the  boys’ cross country, girls’ and boys’  track and girls’ soccer, claimed the title of  state champion.