Academies and Applications Programs Overview

Wheaton High School is organized into specific small learning communities called academies, each with a college and career readiness focus. Students choose the academy of their choice during the registration process for the 9th grade year. All students in Wheaton High School are connected to one of our academies.

In addition, Wheaton High School has three application programs: Biomedical, Engineering and the Wheaton Edison program. The Biomedical and Engineering program, are criteria based (students must apply) programs. The Wheaton Edison program is a lottery based application program.

What is an Academy?

Academies are small learning communities where students explore a career-focused area of interest throughout their four years. There are many elective classes within each program for students to build upon their interests. Students are connected to the content through project-based instruction, as well as through job shadowing, internships, field trips, and guest speakers. The academies provide students with a cutting-edge, regular sequence of four or five courses that culminate in a Capstone project. Choosing an Academy is NOT part of the Choice Process.

What Applications Programs Does Wheaton Offer?

Wheaton has three application programs: our Biomedical and Engineering programs are a criteria-based program. Students interested in these programs apply in the fall of their eighth grade year and are selected by a committee based on their academic performance, recommendations and written statements. Only students who reside in the Down County Consortium may apply for these programs.

The Wheaton/Edison Program (W/E) is for students who are interested in attending Wheaton High School and going to Thomas Edison High School of Technology for one of the four aligned career pathways. Each academy has a partnership with a complimentary program at Thomas Edison. Students are Wheaton HS students and will go to Thomas Edison in their 11th and 12th grade years. The intent of this program is that students will be program completers in their academy program at Wheaton as well as at Thomas Edison.

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