International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB)

Newark Academy was the first school in New Jersey — and remains the only private school in New Jersey — to offer the highly respected International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

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For more than three decades, Newark Academy juniors and seniors have engaged in the IB program, a rigorous and highly respected pre-university program that guides students to become self-motivated learners and powerful critical thinkers.

The student-centered and skills-focused program mirrors the values and educational approach of Newark Academy, where students learn to think for themselves, rather than accept the information presented to them.

In fact, many honors-level courses at Newark Academy are part of the IB program with 97% of the senior class enrolled in one or more IB courses. As is true for AP courses, high scores earned on the standardized IB exams in May can lead to advanced placement or course credit in college.

A wide shot of a class. Students sit at desks in circle formation

At Newark Academy students can participate in the IB program in two different ways starting in Grade 11: they can either take individual IB coursework or pursue the full diploma program. Students interested in pursuing the diploma program must be eligible for all requisite IB courses.

The Full IB Diploma Programme

The IB Diploma Programme is organized around six subject groups as well as three required core components: Theory of Knowledge course, the Extended Essay and a Creativity, Activity, Service project.

Subject Courses

Subject Courses

Students in the diploma program will take required courses in each of the following six subject groups: their native language, second language, individuals in society, experimental science, mathematics and an elective subject.

IB Courses at NA include:

Group 1: English Literature
Group 2: French, Spanish, Mandarin
Group 3: Economics, Global Politics, History, Philosophy
Group 4: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics, Computer Science
Group 5: Math: Analysis, Math: Applications
Group 6 (optional): Dance, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts, Film

Theory of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a part-time, two-year course that develops critical thinking skills and challenges students to consider how they know what they know. While other courses focus on content from a traditional academic discipline, TOK empowers students to think broadly about the nature of knowledge itself by bringing together skills, ideas and information that they have acquired in their other classes and non-academic experiences.

Extended Essay

Following their junior year, students will conduct independent research on a topic of their choice, culminating in a 4,000-word Extended Essay that is presented to peers, parents and Newark Academy academic and administrative leaders. All IB diploma students will be paired with a faculty mentor who supports their development and progress.

CAS Project

Students are required to complete a self-led Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Project over the course of the program. In order to engage with the world outside of high school classes, students design and implement their own project that demonstrates the elements of creativity, activity and service.

Examples of NA student CAS projects have included:

Creating RaftIn, a non-profit providing access to mathematics tutoring programs to students worldwide
The production of three plays written and performed by members of the LGBT+ community to shine a spotlight on their stories
A Rubik’s Cube competition with over 120 attendees that raised funds for the Apostles’ House in Newark

97%

of the Class of 2025 is enrolled in at least 1 IB course

1/2

of the graduating class typically pursues the full IB Diploma

100%

pursues the full IB Diploma

IB Diploma completion rate

Meet Your IB Coordinator

Richard Stilliard

IB Coordinator, CAS Coordinator, Humanities Faculty