WHILE many 15-year-old Filipinos have a hard time reading, much less understanding simple essay structure as the figures in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Program for International Student Assessment 2018 results indicated, 5-year-old kindergarten pupil Jethro (not his real name) reads the instructions to his classmates as they experiment with water and soap to make bubbles at Hope Christian High School (HCHS).

The first Filipino Chinese Christian academy to be accredited for and implement the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP), HCHS offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that builds conceptual understanding.