Cultivating elite student-athletes.

Course Load and Schedule

Freshmen and Sophomores are required to take a minimum course load of at least 18-units per Academic Year. Juniors are required to take a minimum course load of 15-units per Academic Year. Seniors are required to take a minimum course load of 12-units (Seniors are required to take English, Senior Project, and two of the following four classes each term: Science, Math, History, World Languages, or Creative Art. Postgraduate student-athletes may satisfy their academic requirement through classes taken at SBA or elsewhere, internships, or work-study. The number of courses required does not include Physical Education, which is required each year a student-athlete is enrolled at the Academy.

Sugar Bowl Academy follows a trimester-based school calendar. The trimester term dates for the 2023 - 2024 school year are:

• Fall Trimester: August 23rd - November 10th

• Winter Trimester: November 27th - March 15th

• Spring Trimester: March 18th - June 8th

See our 2023 - 2024 Calendar

Graduation REquirements

In order to graduate from Sugar Bowl Academy, a student-athlete must have completed their entire Senior Year of high school at the Academy. A student-athlete requires a minimum of a 2.0 GPA. 

Only grades earned at SBA are included in the calculation of a student-athlete’s GPA. All credits earned at other institutions are shown on the student-athlete’s transcript. Student-athletes are expected to maintain a 2.0 GPA for continued enrollment. 

Senior Project

As a prerequisite for graduation, all SBA seniors are required to complete a year-long senior project. The Senior Project program is designed to be the culminating experience of your academic experience at Sugar Bowl Academy and is a unique personal journey in which you'll gain an in-depth understanding of a particular subject area. You'll be required to write a 10-20 page research paper, present for 20-30 minutes before the entire school and document your experience through a portfolio. You may choose to create a product as a natural extension of your inquiry. You'll learn the skills of annotating a bibliography, outlining, sourcing and citing research, interviewing, surveying, working with mentors and more.

Past projects have covered a wide variety of topics, including:

• White Supremacy in the United States — What key events throughout US History have created the existence of white supremacy and how are the repercussions seen today?

• Strength Training for Cross Country Skiers — How does the manipulation of nutrition, exercises and periodization of a strength program help an endurance athlete perform physiologically at his or her best?

• Entrepreneurship of Hard Goods — How can one capitalize on the different facets of entrepreneurship to start a successful hard goods business?

• International Service Organizations — How can international service organizations support altruistic practices that result in sustainable community development?

• The Supreme Court, Democracy, and Citizens United — How has the Supreme Court, through the Citizens United v. The Federal Election Commission decision, changed the political landscape of America, affected voters' opinions and set a standard of precedent in future elections?

• Hip Hop and Social Justice — How can Hip Hop embrace themes of past Black music to effectively promote social change in the current era of legal discrimination?