The school's academic year is modeled after the British System and has two terms per year rather than two semesters. Courses are completed in full during each -month term. Each term's schedule of classes includes four ninety-minute class periods per day, five days per week. There is a one-hour lunch period, from 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Students are allowed to leave the school grounds in order to purchase their lunch from the many restaurants located in the Dupont Circle area.