High School 9-12
A safe place to be and to become.
MIS supports high school students to express and develop their authentic self with less of the peer pressure, bullying and typical angst experienced in most high schools. We preserve the sanctity and safety of identity and development while providing challenge and growth through rigorous academic coursework and meaningful travel opportunities.
With a maximum of 15 students per class, high school classes at MIS allow for greater community-building, deeper learning, individualized feedback, and more meaningful relationships among peers and instructors. Our flexibility allows space for students to explore personal interests, take advantage of dual enrollment offerings, and create a truly individualized high school experience.
What our students say:
"The atmosphere at MIS is shaping me for my future. I already feel more responsible and more mature."
~ Naomi, Class of 2023
"Teachers treat us like adults, but when we advocate for our ourselves, they are there to support us. The teachers are always open to our ideas."
~ Kamal, Class of 2020
"At MIS, learning starts with the idea that everyone has the ability to learn. There is always opportunity rather than limitations. The determining factor is how much YOU, the learner, are willing to put in."
~ Sam, Class of 2021
MIS High School Graduates:
Have a strong sense of self, an awareness of their strengths and capacities, and capitalize on potential for growth and progress.
Are inherently inquisitive, creative problem solvers who uphold the spirit of collaboration.
See opportunity in every viewpoint, know that feedback is essential to growth, and that great feats cannot be accomplished alone.
Are committed and purposeful change-agents who elevate their communities and the world, guided by the values of respect, responsibility, citizenship, and justice.
Teaching Philosophy
At MIS, we recognize that the high school experience can more fully support the advanced cognitive and/or creative abilities of gifted learners by implementing these strategies across the curriculum:
Exploring content in depth.
Navigating the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of content.
Thinking about the content’s abstractions and mysteries.
Creative application of learning.
Critical assessment of information and sources.
Accelerated delivery of content.
Authentic and meaningful connections to the world.
Dual Enrollment
11th and 12th grade students may also be eligible to enroll in dual enrollment courses - in most cases free of charge! - in order to receive both high school and college credits when they have exhausted the course offerings at MIS in a particular subject area or are interested in a course that MIS does not offer.
MIS is currently partnered with Oglethorpe University for in-person and remote dual enrollment classes, as well as Georgia Tech’s all-remote Distance Math and Computer Science Programs.
Academic Rigor
With problem-based learning, students employ research, inquiry, and collaboration to formulate solutions to global, academic, and intellectual problems.
All core High School classes in English, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, and World Languages are offered at both the Standard and more rigorous Honors levels. Honors courses also come with a 0.5 boost to a student's weighted GPA (Grade Point Calculation).
Although MIS does not offer Advanced Placement courses, students still have the opportunity to self-study for certain exams and take them right here at MIS. Thanks to our small class sizes, students find that teachers are often available to provide additional support in their AP exam preparations.
High School 101
All 9th graders take the HS 101 elective during their first semester. This course is designed to help students transition to high school and build skills that will help them to navigate the next four years and beyond. During the first few weeks of class students familiarize themselves with the student handbook and learn how to use platforms such as SCOIR and GAfutures. Throughout the semester we cover topics including:
Academic integrity
Professional communication
Transcripts & GPA
Organization and study skills
Digital literacy
Stress management
The importance of sleep
Suicide awareness
Career development (interests, skills, resumes, interviewing)
Extracurricular involvement and summer programs
PSAT overview
Goal-setting and self-reflection
We believe this helps our students to explore their interests and goals earlier on and to provide a foundation for what to expect in high school and why it matters. We have made a conscious decision to wait to initiate the college discussion until students are in the 10th grade. This helps them acclimate to high school and focus on the present, without adding the additional stress of thinking about college. That said, we do discuss topics related to college in HS 101. Down the line the topics covered in this course help them to focus in on what they want in a college and in turn makes them competitive college applicants. Learn more about our college counseling support.
High School Hours and Class Schedule
High School classes run from 9:00am to 3:55pm, Monday through Friday, with a lunch block running from 12:00pm to 12:55pm. Provided they obtain parental permission, students in grades 11 and 12 are allowed to leave campus for lunch during the school day.
Students can expect to be enrolled in standard or honors-level classes in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Language - as well as two electives - per semester. Here’s a snapshot of our weekly schedule:
High School Clubs
Each year, we hold a High School Club Fair for students to learn about and commit to different extracurricular offerings led by our amazing faculty. Club meetings may take place before school, during lunch, or after school.
While clubs may change from year to year, some of our past offerings include:
Beta Club
Black Student Union
Podcasting Club
High School Music Ensemble
High School Yearbook
Key Club
Theatre Club
Crochet Club
Robotics Club
Science Bowl
Dance Club
In addition to our faculty-led offerings, High School students are encouraged to initiate and create their own clubs for their High School community to enjoy.
A Message from our High School Principal, Dr. Munib Rezaie
Thank you for stopping by! At MIS, high school students are given the opportunity to lean into their intellectual curiosity, develop their leadership and professional skills, and cultivate their social and intellectual independence to succeed in college, the workplace, and beyond. MIS bases its curriculum design, instructional strategies, travel opportunities, and college preparedness activities on the ever-growing body of research in giftedness and the learning sciences. The MIS High School experience bridges a deep understanding of gifted students and their need for limitless learning opportunities with the constraints and limits of college preparedness, university admissions, and adulthood.
Alongside our academic rigor, it is equally important for us to ensure that students' mental and emotional wellbeing is cared for, supported, and encouraged to bloom. At MIS, we reject the negative assumptions that see teenagers as being inherently angsty, apathetic, or "difficult." Developmentally speaking, high school students experience a time of incredible change, growing potential, limitless capacity, and an ardent desire for justice. And that is how our incredible faculty view and approach our students - as the curious, knowledge-seeking, justice-fighting powerhouses that all teenagers have the inherent capacity to be.
With all of the recent changes and challenges the world has faced since 2020, it's more important than ever that students and families are supported with clear accountability characterized by compassion, care, and understanding. Our small class sizes - limited to a maximum of 15 students per class - gives our teachers the opportunity to form deeper connections with students, as well as the ability to provide individualized attention, accommodation, and care.
There is a poster that hangs in my office that reads "where there is love, nothing is too much trouble, and there is always time." It serves as a constant reminder of the mindset that guides our decisions, our conversations with parents, guardians, staff, and students, as well as the quality we hope to instill in every student that experiences our High School during their life-long educational journey.
Please take some time to explore our website, and feel free to reach out with any High School-specific questions you may have.
I hope to meet you soon!