Maranatha High School is a private, comprehensive, college-preparatory co-ed Christian high school, grades 9-12 located just a few blocks from Old Town Pasadena. Our College Board Code is 052686.
Maranatha High School holds dual accreditation with Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) as well as Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).
Maranatha draws students from more than 70 middle schools and over 160 Christian church backgrounds. The total enrollment is approximately 680 students. The ethnic makeup of Maranatha’s student body is:
African American (10%)
Asian (30%)
Caucasian (41%)
Hispanic (12%)
Other (7%)
Ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic diversity are valued at Maranatha and financial assistance is awarded to more than a quarter of our student body.
The average class size is 21. The student/teacher ratio is 13:1. The standard course load for students in grades 9-11 consists of seven courses per semester; seniors may enroll in six. Every class is 55 minutes in length and meets four times per week. Class periods rotate daily to allow for chapel and an Enrichment period each week. Students take Theology classes all four years. Effective in the Fall of 2018, all of our Theology courses will be UC-approved as Humanities Electives.
Students qualify for honors and Advanced Placement courses by demonstrating proficiency in the applicable subject area coupled with teacher recommendation and/or department recommendation. Honors and Advanced Placement courses are designated on the students' transcripts and are weighted in the calculation of the GPA. All students enrolled in an AP class are required to take the AP test. Maranatha boasts an average 82% pass rate on AP tests. In 2014, 208 students sat for 487 examinations: 74% earned a 3 or above, 47% earned a 4, and 21% earned a 5. 100 exams earned perfect scores and there were 82 AP Scholars.
Only grades given at the conclusion of each semester are recorded on a student's transcript. The overall GPA is calculated on a four point scale. Pluses and minuses are used for a more precise indication of student performance, but are not used in calculating the GPA. Students who participate in school-sanctioned extra-curricular sports teams receive a pass/fail grade rather than a letter grade and it is not calculated into the GPA. (Approximately two-thirds of our students are involved in our Athletics Program.)
The Learning Assistance Program is designed for students with documented difficulties in learning. Each student is provided an Instructional Support Plan (ISP) for the classroom that includes appropriate documentation of diagnosis as required by the College Board for accommodations necessary for testing. Maranatha also offers a number of special courses some of which offer optional class trips. There are several international academic trip opportunities at Maranatha to places such as Costa Rica, Israel, Europe (Arts and Language), British Isles (Humanities), Australia/New Zealand, Galapagos Islands, Mexico (ASL), Germany/Poland. Some unique course offerings include: R.D. Oliver Institute, Theology and the Arts, Musical Theater, Orchestra, Pastoral Theology, and a strong American Sign Language Department.