Upper School
Grades 7-12
Forming confident, intelligent, and faithful young adults prepared for this life and the next.
We offer a challenging, integrated liberal arts program that underlines the unity of faith and reason. Rooted in the tradition of Catholic education, our curriculum is broken down into the divisions of grammar, logic and rhetoric , integrating the humanities, theology, mathematics, natural sciences, the fine arts, and physical education. This educational model emphasizes the Virtues, the Catholic intellectual tradition, and their origins in the Greco-Roman world.
Upper School Curriculum
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- Curriculum by Grade
- Junior High & High School Sample Reading List
- Earn College Credit
- Student Life
- Standardized Testing
- Awards and Honors
Curriculum by Grade
Our Academic Overview shows a simple visual of our K-12 curriculum, or choose a grade level below to see grade level-specific courses.
7th Grade
Theology
- Christology: Christ as Priest, Prophet & King
English
- English Grammar & Literature 7
History, Philosophy & Economics
- The History of Christian Civilization (Pre-History to the Reformation)
Mathematics
- Pre-Algebra
- Algebra IA
- Algebra IB
Science
- Earth Science
Language
- Latin IA
Fine Arts
- Band or Choir
- Studio Art
Physical Ed.
- Physical Education
8th Grade
Theology
- Church History and Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation
English
- English Grammar & Literature 8
History, Philosophy & Economics
- The Making of the Modern World (Renaissance to Pope Benedict XVI)
Mathematics
- Algebra IA
- Algebra IB
- Honors Geometry
Science
- Life Science
- Physical Science
Language
- Latin IB
- Spanish I
Fine Arts
- Band or Choir
- Studio Art
Physical Ed.
- Physical Education
9th Grade
24.5 total credits minimum are required for graduation from the High School (1 Semester of a course = 0.50 credit)
Theology
- The Creed
- Introduction to the Old Testament
English
- Literature & Composition
History, Philosophy & Economics
- Introduction to Logic & Philosophy
Mathematics
- Algebra IB
- Geometry
- Honors Geometry
- Honors Algebra II
Science
- Physical Science
- Biology
Language
- Latin: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Spanish: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Greek (Honors-level study: open to students at language level III or higher)
Fine Arts
- Concert Band
- Concert Chorale
- Madrigal Singers
- Drawing
- Painting
- Sculpture
Physical Ed.
- Strength & Conditioning (Perennial)
- Team & Individual Sports (Perennial)
- First Aid, CPR & Health (Year A)
- Recreational Sports (Year B)
- Cardio Conditioning (Year C)
Electives
- Technology & Keyboarding
*Denotes Honors course is AP Preparatory
BOLD denotes courses APPROVED for college credits earned through the University of Mary, up to 3 credits.
10th Grade
24.5 total credits minimum are required for graduation from the High School (1 Semester of a course = 0.50 credit)
2022-23 Grade 10 Course Selection Packet
Theology
- Sacraments and Ten Commandments
- Introduction to the New Testament
English
- American Literature
- Honors American Literature
History, Philosophy & Economics
- United States History
- Honors United States History
Mathematics
- Geometry
- Honors Geometry
- Algebra II
- Honors Algebra II
Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
Language
- Latin: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Spanish: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Greek (Honors-level study: open to students at language level III or higher)
Fine Arts
- Concert Band
- Concert Chorale
- Madrigal Singers
- Photojournalism
- Drawing / Advanced Drawing
- Painting / Advanced Painting
- Sculpture / Advanced Sculpture
- Portfolio Prep
Physical Ed.
- Strength & Conditioning (Perennial)
- Team & Individual Sports (Perennial)
- First Aid, CPR & Health (Year A)
- Recreational Sports (Year B)
- Cardio Conditioning (Year C)
Electives
- Technology & Keyboarding
*Denotes Honors course is AP Preparatory
BOLD denotes courses APPROVED for college credits earned through the University of Mary, up to 3 credits.
11th Grade
24.5 total credits minimum are required for graduation from the High School (1 Semester of a course = 0.50 credit)
2022-23 Grade 11 Course Selection Packet
Theology
- Apologetics
- Catholic Moral Theology
English
- European Literature
- Honors European Literature*
History, Philosophy & Economics
- European History
- Honors European History*
Mathematics
- Algebra II
- Honors Algebra II
- Trigonometry & Pre-Calculus
- Honors Trig. & Pre-Calculus
- Honors Calculus I*
Science
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Honors Physics*
- Fundamentals of Engineering
Language
- Latin: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Spanish: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Greek (Honors-level study: open to students at language level III or higher)
Fine Arts
- Concert Band
- Concert Chorale
- Madrigal Singers
- Photojournalism
- Drawing / Advanced Drawing
- Painting / Advanced Painting
- Sculpture / Advanced Sculpture
- Portfolio Prep
Physical Ed.
- Strength & Conditioning (Perennial)
- Team & Individual Sports (Perennial)
- First Aid, CPR & Health (Year A)
- Recreational Sports (Year B)
- Cardio Conditioning (Year C)
Electives
- Technology & Keyboarding
*Denotes Honors course is AP Preparatory
BOLD denotes courses APPROVED for college credits earned through the University of Mary, up to 3 credits.
12th Grade
24.5 total credits minimum are required for graduation from the High School (1 Semester of a course = 0.50 credit)
Theology
- A History of Catholic Dogma
- Catholic Social Doctrine
English
- Honors World Literature
- The Great Conversation (Honors Integrated Humanities Seminar)*
History, Philosophy & Economics
- Civics/Government & Economics
- The Great Conversation (Honors Integrated Humanities Seminar)*
Mathematics
- Trigonometry & Pre-Calculus
- Honors Trigonometry
- Intro to Calculus
- Honors Calculus I*
- Honors Calculus II*
- Statistics
Science
- Physics
- Honors Physics*
- Honors Chemistry*
- Honors Biology*
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Fundamentals of Engineering
Language Latin: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Spanish: Levels I-V (Levels IV-V)*
- Greek (Honors-level study: open to students at language level III or higher)
Fine Arts
- Concert Band
- Concert Chorale
- Madrigal Singers
- Photojournalism
- Drawing / Advanced Drawing
- Painting / Advanced Painting
- Sculpture / Advanced Sculpture
- Portfolio Prep
Physical Ed.
- Strength & Conditioning (Perennial)
- Team & Individual Sports (Perennial)
- First Aid, CPR & Health (Year A)
- Recreational Sports (Year B)
- Cardio Conditioning (Year C)
Electives
- Technology & Keyboarding
*Denotes Honors course is AP Preparatory
BOLD denotes courses APPROVED for college credits earned through the University of Mary, up to 3 credits.
Junior High & High School Sample Reading List
A Christmas Carol, Dickens
A Man for All Seasons, Bolt
A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens
Aeneid, Virgil
Antigone, Sophocles
Beowulf
Brideshead Revisited, Waugh
Canterbury Tales, Chaucer
Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky
Fides Quaerens Intellectum, St. Anselm
Frankenstein, Shelley
Hamlet, Shakespeare
Huckleberry Finn, Twain
Iliad, Homer
Julius Caesar, Shakespeare
Macbeth, Shakespeare
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle
Odyssey, Homer
Oedipus the King, Sophocles
On the Incarnation, St. Athanasius
Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus
Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky
The Confessions, St. Augustine
The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius
The Didache
The Divine Comedy, Dante
The Great Divorce, Lewis
The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald
The Republic (selections), Plato
The Rule of St. Benedict
The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne
To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lee
Treatise on Law, St. Thomas Aquinas
Earn College Credit
Dual-Enrollment Courses
Earn college credits as a high school student at Saint Agnes! We offer 21 dual-enrollment eligible courses in our Upper School through a partnership with the University of Mary.
Learn more about dual enrollment
Honors and AP Courses
We offer a challenging, integrated liberal arts program that underlines the unity of faith and reason. Rooted in the tradition of Catholic education, our curriculum is broken down into the divisions of grammar, logic and rhetoric, integrating the humanities, theology, mathematics, natural sciences, the fine arts, and physical education. Included in our curriculum is the ability to take Honors and AP Prep courses to help prepare students for college and life beyond.
Student Life
Standardized Testing
Grades 7-8 testing includes Stanford 10 (SAT10) and ACT Explore (grade 8). Grade 9-12 testing includes ACT Plan (grade 9), ACT, SAT AP Exams, Classic Learning Test (CLT), and the National Latin Exam. We are also a testing site for the ACT.
Aggies consistently score higher than average on all key subject areas and overall on the SAT10. The SAT10 is a test given primarily to private, competitive primary school across the country and is a well-respected standard of elementary excellence. The 9th grade ACT Explore placement test indicates that the average Aggie scored among the top quarter of students nationally.
High school Aggies continue to score well on the ACT college entrance exam, outpacing the national average, state average, and keeping in par (or beating) with the Catholic high school average.
We are proud of our testing data, but it is simply a bi-product of a Saint Agnes education! We don’t teach to the test. Our primary goal is to offer a rigorous liberal arts education that delves deeply into the Catholic intellectual tradition, forming students in Faith, Reason, and Virtue (the pillars of our mission) and preparing them for college, life, and beyond. With excellent offerings in academics, arts, activities, and athletics, Saint Agnes School hopes that students actively engage in their studies and ultimately fall in love with the LOGOS – with Christ Himself who is the Teacher and origin of all that is true, good, and beautiful.
Awards and Honors
- Palm Award
- Valedictorian and Salutatorian
- Graduating with Latin Honors
- Senior Department Awards
- Honor Rolls
- Lettering in Academics
- Grade 7-8 Awards
Palm Award
The Saint Agnes Palm Award is our school's highest honor and bears the name of the symbol of victory of our patroness, the palm branch. Selected by the faculty, the award honors one young man and young woman from the senior class who model all that which Saint Agnes School hopes for in each of its graduates. These individuals are well rounded and have achieved excellence in virtually all areas: Faith, academics, activities, athletics, character, virtue, leadership, friendship, and service. As the plaque itself states: “these seniors represent best the hopes and goals as expressed in the mission and vision of Saint Agnes School.”
Valedictorian and Salutatorian
Distinguished awards bestowed on the two deserving students from the senior class who have earned the highest academic honors: the title of Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the best academic achievements among their peers. The Salutatorian welcomes the senior class at graduation and the Valedictorian bids them farewell.
Graduating with Latin Honors
Senior Department Awards
Department faculty members select two seniors who display exemplary ability and promise in the department's respective area of study and, more importantly, exhibit a true love of learning and an infectious zeal for the subject matter, one that inspires both teachers and classmates. Each honoree receives a department medallion with an image signifying the respective subject area to be worn at graduation.
Honor Rolls
Lettering in Academics
To qualify for a letter in academics, 9-12 students must meet one of the following criteria:
First letter (Academics patch: book or lamp)
- 2 consecutive semesters of Principal’s List (3.67 GPA and above)
- 3 consecutive semesters of Dean’s List (3.33-3.66 GPA)
- 4 consecutive semesters of Honor Roll (3.00-3.32 GPA)
To earn subsequent letters (bar patch):
- 1 semester of Dean’s List or higher
To obtain a letter or letter jacket: If you qualified for a letter in Academics and wish to obtain a letter and/or letter jacket, they may be purchased from:
Harold’s Shoe Repair 2940 Rice Street Little Canada, MN 55113 651-484-6109
Strauss Skates & Bicycles 1751 East Cope Avenue St. Paul, MN 55109 651-770-1344
You may also order letter jackets online from:
MECA Sportswear Begin the order process here. School ID: 3881 Password: meca
Grade 7-8 Awards
Students and faculty gather each spring for the Annual Junior High Awards Ceremony to honor the many gifts and talents of our junior high students. Altar servers, ushers, and Student Council members are recognized as well as these distinguished awards.
Academic Awards
Junior High Aggie Award: Presented to a male and female from each grade who represent the goals of a Saint Agnes education and exhibits all-around excellence. Qualities considered include: excellence in faith, academics, activities, athletics, virtue, leadership, service, and school spirit.
National Latin Exam: Silver medal maxima cum laude, for their performance on the Latin exams, Gold medal summa cum laude honors for top scores of 38 out of 40.
Academic Excellence Award: Given to a male and female student from each grade who display academic excellence in all subjects throughout the year.
Junior High Science Fair, Top 2 Projects: For representing Saint Agnes at the finals of the Big Bang Catholic STEM Fair.
Awards, Nominated by Classmates
St. Thérèse of Lisieux Award: For doing small things with great love, being helpful and thoughtful, showing kindness to classmates.
St. Barnabas Award: For showing kindness and forgiveness to classmates, including everyone, ensuring nobody feels forgotten or unwanted.
St. Paul Award: For choosing to do what is right, even when it is a hard choice to make.
St. Thomas Aquinas Award: For displaying a love of learning and a desire to know the truth.
St. Philip Neri Award: For exuding joy and cheerfulness, uplifting those around them to see God's love.
We are proud to be a Catholic School and assist parents in forming students with Catholic hearts and minds. After 135 years, our tradition of excellence continues to grow as we serve entire families from Preschool-12th Grade on one campus. From 80+ different ZIP Codes and backgrounds, we are committed to providing Catholic education grounded in a challenging, integrated liberal arts curriculum coupled with excellence in fine arts, service, and athletic competition.
If you are interested in learning more about Saint Agnes, please contact Mr. Joseph Olson or 651-925-8803.