Academics

School Profile

About Hockaday

The Hockaday School is an independent, college-preparatory school in Dallas, TX for girls from prekindergarten through twelfth grades. Founded in 1913, the School is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. Hockaday is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, One Schoolhouse, The College Board, the National and Texas Associations for College Admission Counseling, and the Cum Laude Society.

Upper School Academics

List of 8 items.

  • Academic Rigor

    Enriched: Courses designated as enriched  are designed to move through subject matter at a demanding pace, and students may delve more deeply into specific areas as interested.  
     
    Honors: Courses designated as honors are equal to and more often exceed the level of expectation and depth of study required by College Board Advanced Placement courses. Most advanced courses become available to students in the Form III year.   

  • Graduation Requirements

    The required course load is four, full-credit academic courses per year. 

    SUBJECTCREDITSREQUIRED COURSES
    English12English I, II, III, Two Senior Semesters 
    Math9
    Science9Physics, Chemistry, Biology 
    World Languages9 or through Level IIIWorld History,  US Government, US History 
    History7.5Minimum of two years in the same language
    Fine Arts3History of Art and Music 


  • Integrated Math

    Integrated Math spirals concepts from Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II over a three-year period. All students will graduate with a firm foundation in these three subjects, having completed the equivalent of a year of study in each. In addition, concepts from statistics/probability, logical reasoning, and discrete mathematics are spiraled throughout the program.    

  • Interdisciplinary Courses

    Interdisciplinary courses at Hockaday access content and skills from two or more disciplines. Interdisciplinary courses by their nature stimulate curiosity, embrace ambiguity, and foster broader purpose. These courses ask that students focus on integrating seemingly disparate ideas to generate novel perspectives and build empathy; applying knowledge in unexpected contexts; synthesizing insights to build new ways of viewing the world and themselves; and drawing upon material from multiple disciplines to solve problems.  

  • Ranking and GPA

    It is Hockaday’s policy not to rank students. Grade point average is cumulative, unweighted, calculated on a four-point scale, and includes all Hockaday classes. GPAs are updated at the end of each academic year. Honors and advanced placement courses are not weighted. 

  • Semester Courses

    Semester courses are widely available to students in their junior and senior years. Many of these courses are among the most demanding classes available. Semester courses are designed to align with the college model that allows students to develop a concentration while maintaining breadth of study.  

  • Social Impact Courses

    Courses with the Social Impact designation are connected to the Institute for Social Impact. To have the Social Impact designation, courses must meet the goals of three of the four pillars (service learning, community service, community engagement, and social entrepreneurship) and actively create opportunities for students to experience outcomes such as increased advocacy skills, real-world interactions, and practice designing solutions, exploring purpose, and building empathy. 

  • Additional Education Opportunities

    There are additional education options available to Hockaday students, including directed independent study projects, Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Colorado, SEGL in Washington, D.C., and Swiss Semester in Zermatt, to name a few. Additionally, students may take courses offered by One Schoolhouse (OSH) to expand the array of courses available to them. Hockaday considers these courses to be an equivalent educational experience to a course taken in a traditional classroom setting.   

Enrollment

Upper School: Grades 9 – 12
501

Middle School: Grades 5 – 8
333

Lower School: Grades Pre-K – 4
276

Total Enrollment          
1110   

Students of Color (self-identified) 51% 

Students Receiving Financial Aid 13%

Class of 2023 Scholarship Recognition Programs

National Merit Scholars
Finalists: 25
Semifinalists: 26
Commendees: 34

College Board National
Recognition Programs
Scholars: 11

Class of 2023 Standardized Testing

Advanced Placement Testing
Percent Who Scored 3, 4, or 5: 94% 

SAT Testing
Range of Middle 50%
Evidence-Based
Reading and Writing 690 – 760
Mathematics 680 – 780

ACT Testing
Range of Middle 50%
English 31-35 
Math 27-33 
Reading 32-36 
Science Reasoning 27-34 
Composite 30-34

College Matriculation: 2021 – 2023

100% of Hockaday graduates enroll in post-secondary institutions.
Auburn University
Austin College
Babson College
Barnard College
Bates College
Baylor University
Belmont University
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brown University
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College
Colgate University
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Elon University
Emory University
Emory University-Oxford College
Fordham University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Haverford College
High Point University
Houston Baptist University
Howard University
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
Loyola Marymount University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Miami University-Oxford
Mount Holyoke College
New York University
Newcastle University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
Pepperdine University
Pomona College
Purdue University
Reed College
Rhode Island School of Design 
Rhodes College
Rice University
Rollins College
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Sewanee: The University of the South
Smith College
Southern Methodist University
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Tel Aviv University
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
The American University of Paris
The University of Alabama
The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Towson University
Transylvania University
Trinity College Dublin
Tufts University
Tulane University
Union College
University of Arkansas
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Los Angeles
University of California-Santa Barbara
University of California-San Diego
University of Central Florida
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Connecticut
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Louisville
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri
University of North Carolin
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Richmond
University of South Carolina
University of Southern California
University of St Andrews
University of Stirling
University of Toronto
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
William & Mary
Williams College
Yale University

2023–2024 Courses

List of 5 items.

  • Computer Science

    AP Computer Science A +

    * Honors Courses   + Social Impact Courses

  • English

    English I: The Dangers of a Single Story 
    English II: Experiences in British Literature 
    English III: The American Experience 

    Honors English Semesters  
    Fashion in Literature *+
    Creative Writing *
    The Modern Short Story *
    Literature of Minorities *+
    The Monster Class *
    The Rhetoric of World Issues *
    Russian Literature *

    * Honors Courses   + Social Impact Courses

  • History

    World History
    U.S. Government +
    U.S. History:  American Foreign Policy and
    International Relations *+
    U.S. History: Law in American Society *
    AP U.S. History 
    AP Economics
    Senior History Semesters 
    AP World History Modern
    Economics & Social Entrepreneurship *+
    Empowering Women through Financial
    Literacy       
    Game without Rules: The Modern Middle East *
    Global Issues of the Twenty-First Century *+
    Philosophy of the 21st Century
    Postwar American Film
    The Real Game of Thrones: Tudor England *

    * Honors Courses   + Social Impact Courses

  • Mathematics

    Integrated Math II/III
    Integrated Math III, Integrated Math IIIB 
    Integrated Math III Enriched +
    Functions and Trigonometry
    Precalculus, Precalculus Enriched
    Statistics +
    Calculus
    AP Statistics
    AP Calculus AB 
    AP Calculus BC
    Multivariable Calculus *
    Introduction to Financial Accounting *
    (Semester)

    * Honors Courses   + Social Impact Courses

  • World Languages

    Mandarin Chinese I, II, III 
    AP Mandarin Chinese
    Advanced Chinese Language and Culture for
    Heritage & Non-Heritage Speakers *
    French I, II, III, IV
    AP French Language and Culture
    Business French *
    Latin I, II, III 
    Latin Literature *
    AP Latin
    Spanish I, II, II Enriched, III, III Enriched, IV
    AP Spanish Language and Culture
     
    Honors Spanish Semesters
    Latin American Perspectives and Art * 
    Spanish and Latin American Short Fiction *  
    Spanish in the Community *+
    Spanish Poetry and Pop Music *

    * Honors Courses   + Social Impact Courses

List of 5 items.

  • Fine Arts

    Chamber Orchestra +
    Concert Choir
    Foundations of Creativity and Studio Art
    Studio Art II, Advanced Studio Art III +
    Applied Music: Private Lessons
    AP Studio Art
    AP 3-D Art and Design
    Foundations of Creativity and Ceramics, Advanced Ceramics and Sculpture
    Daisy Company (Beginning Drama) *+
    Hockaday Theater Company (Intermediate Drama)
    Hockaday Rep Company (Advanced Drama) 
    Little Great Little Works: Theater Tech
    Foundations of Creativity and Photography
    Intermediate Photography
    Advanced Photography
    Introduction to Debate
    Advanced Debate: World Schools Debate
    Dance Extension
    Workshop I and II
    Dance Lab +
    Dance Theater +
    Foundations of Creativity and Film
    Advanced Filmmaking 

  • Interdisciplinary

    Astronomy *
    Disability and Identity +
    Economics & Social Entrepreneurship *+
    The End of the World *
    History of Art and Music
    Introduction to Financial Accounting *
    Neuroscience *+
    Sports Science *

    * Honors Courses   + Social Impact Courses

  • Mass Communications

    Introduction to Journalism
    Newspaper/Fourcast 
    Yearbook/Cornerstones
    Literary Magazine/Vibrato

  • Physical Education

    Health I: Understanding the Basics 
    Health II: Self Defense
    PE I and PE II

  • Science

    Physics
    Chemistry
    Environmental Chemistry +
    Biology, Impact, and the Zoo *+
    AP Biology
    AP Chemistry
    AP Environmental Science +
    AP Physics C
    Biology *+
    Honors Science Semesters   
    Advanced Genetics *
    Astronomy *
    Bio: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy *
    Bio: Classical Genetics *
    Bio: Introduction to Evolution *
    Bio: Conservation Biology *
    Forensics *
    Infectious Disease Epidemiology *
    Neuroscience *+
    The End of the World *

    * Honors Courses   + Social Impact Courses

The Hockaday School

11600 Welch Road
Dallas, TX 75229
(214) 363-6311
Within the private school community, The Hockaday School is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls from grades PK–12 located in Dallas, Texas. Students realize their limitless potential through challenging academic curricula, arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs so that they are inspired to lead lives of purpose and impact.