University Liggett School offers a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum to nearly 250 students from 60 communities in Southeastern Michigan. For 130 years, Liggett has prepared students for college and beyond, by asking them to fully participate in our comprehensive program. Liggett offers outstanding arts and athletics opportunities and expects that students will take full advantage of these co-curricular programs. Our graduates attend the finest colleges in the country, and return to become leaders in this community.

In Upper School, Liggett students are asked to take ownership of the learning process, accept risks, and discover a passion for a subject or discipline. This step requires trust so, beginning in ninth grade, we focus on team building and emphasize the student-teacher relationship. A recent alumni survey suggests that our strategy is working. Many of our graduates still recall that moment when a Liggett teacher helped unlock a door to discovery.

In the 9th and 10th grade, while the curriculum tends toward the traditional, our students are asked to do more with the material. In English and history, students learn to weigh and challenge new ideas and to use essential questions in this examination process. In the 11th grade, students begin to think about their overall program of study and have the opportunity to delve more deeply into the subjects that keep them most engaged. That concept—meaningful engagement—is a daily goal. We ask students to participate fully in each process and to “own their own lives.”

We make this request of our athletes, artists and community servants as well. Practice like you play. Walk the Walk for Hunger. Sing with volume and intensity and have your voice heard. At Liggett, your place is not on the sidelines unless you are there to support your classmates – and we expect that, too. You have just one shot at high school, so we think you should make the most of each moment.

This is all a part of the college preparation process, a process that culminates with one-on-one guidance from our dedicated college counselor. Liggett graduates gain admission to the nation’s most respected colleges, and are offered dozens of the country’s most prestigious scholarships. It is one thing to gain admission to a top school, it is quite another to arrive on campus with all the tools necessary to make the most of that experience as well.

Spend a day with us and see the Liggett difference: see what it looks like to engage yourself more fully and take ownership of your own experience.