Middle School Program
Dr. Maria Montessori recognized that the needs of adolescents are distinct from those of younger children. While elementary students thrive through hands-on exploration and group learning, adolescents are driven by a deeper desire to build and belong to a community that mirrors the real world.
In our Montessori middle school, we honor this transformation. We create a space where students don’t just learn about society—they live it. Here, education becomes a meaningful experience of working together, solving real problems, and contributing actively to a shared community.
Academic learning is rigorous and aligned with state and national standards—but it doesn’t stop there. We go beyond the standards to spark curiosity, inspire critical thinking, and nurture the whole person. Our students learn to take ownership of their education, wrestle with complex questions, collaborate with others, and lead with integrity. Every experience—whether in the classroom, the field, or the community—is designed to help them grow into thoughtful, capable, and engaged citizens.
Essential Needs of the Adolescent
Adolescents are wired to explore and take risks—it’s how they learn and grow. Supportive environments help channel this drive into positive experiences that build confidence and independence.
Young people thrive when they can make a difference. Opportunities to help others and reflect on their impact foster a sense of purpose, boosting emotional health and resilience.
Adolescents are learning to manage emotions and make thoughtful choices. Real-life practice—with guidance and reflection—helps build these lifelong skills.
Even as they seek independence, adolescents need strong relationships with parents and mentors. Ongoing support builds self-esteem and helps them navigate challenges.
This is a key time for exploring identity and personal values. Affirming environments help adolescents develop a strong sense of self and direction, especially in the face of social pressures or discrimination.
Adolescents are highly sensitive to how they’re perceived. Feeling respected and included—by peers and adults—supports healthy social development and self-worth.
Core Academic Areas
We emphasize problem-solving and mathematical thinking over memorization, while remaining aligned with state and national standards. Topics include expressions & equations, geometry, proportions, functions, and statistics. Students may advance to Algebra 1 in 8th grade.
Regularly scheduled Math Workshops provide focused, sequential lessons, follow-up independent practice, collaborative activities, one-on-one coaching, and hands-on projects.
Weekly Math Seminars bring all students together to tackle challenging problems, share strategies, and build mathematical language—while learning from each other’s problem-solving approaches and collaborating toward solutions.
Math is also integrated throughout the disciplines through interdisciplinary projects and activities. Examples include:
- Microeconomy: Budgeting, cost analysis, inventory tracking
- Humanities: Mapping, scale models, statistics in policy debates
- Science: Data analysis, measurement, proportions and geometry in nature
Our science program cultivates curiosity, critical thinking, and a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things—from the microscopic to the cosmic.
Over two years, students explore the properties of matter, energy, forces & motion, waves and radiation, ecosystem dynamics, Earth’s systems, cells, genetics, and natural selection.
Science in the middle school is also often interwoven with history, mathematics, and language, forming an interdisciplinary approach that helps students understand their place in the natural world—what has shaped life on Earth and what role they might play in its future.
Humanities studies explore the human story through history, geography, social sciences, and the arts. Through these studies, we investigate how ideas, inventions, events, and values have shaped and transformed cultures, individuals, and civilizations.
Through lessons, research-based projects, and socratic seminars, students study early societies, classical civilizations, world religions, U.S. history, and key global events of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Interdisciplinary connections help students see their place in history and imagine their own possible future contributions.
Language is woven throughout the curriculum and supported by regularly-scheduled workshops.
Weekly Reader’s Workshops fosters deep engagement with diverse texts through strategy lessons and student-led discussions. Community reads have included The Outsiders, Fahrenheit 451, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Weekly Writer’s Workshops provide focused instruction in grammar, vocabulary, structure, and style, while also offering time for independent writing and revisions. Students explore a variety of forms—essays, articles, poetry, creative writing, and more. Writing is approached as a process, not just a product. Students move through stages of prewriting, drafting, peer review, and revision, with guidance from both peers and the teacher.
Public speaking and verbal communication is a cornerstone of our Language Arts experience, where students build confidence and clarity through frequent presentations, debates, speeches, interviews, and dramatic performances.
Core-Curriculars
Our middle school Spanish program offers students a two-year introduction to the Spanish language and cultures, equivalent to high school Spanish 1. This extended format allows for deeper engagement, slower pacing, and integration with interdisciplinary themes.
Aligned with state and national World Language Standards, the program emphasizes the 5 C’s of World Language Education: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.
Learners use Spanish in real-world contexts, both within the classroom and through connections to the broader community. Upon completion, students will be prepared to enter Spanish 2 in high school if they choose.
A cornerstone of the middle school experience is the student-run business, or Microeconomy (ME). This dynamic endeavor brings learning to life. Here, students don’t just study math and language; they apply them in meaningful ways as they design products, manage budgets, craft marketing campaigns, and engage with real customers.
This hands-on approach builds entrepreneurial thinking, financial literacy, and communication skills while fostering independence, collaboration, and responsibility.
More than a classroom project, the Microeconomy is an authentic enterprise that connects students to the wider community and provides authentic experience in commerce, collaboration, and purposeful work.
Our approach to the arts and movement is exploratory. We offer a wide range of electives in the arts, movement, and design, encouraging students to explore multiple forms of creative and physical self-expression. Artistic projects are frequently woven into all subjects, allowing creativity and self-expression to deepen understanding and support personal growth.
Creative Expressions (CE) are six-week electives in fine and performing arts & design. Offerings are based on student interest and specialist availability. These have included sculpture, drama, animation, ukulele, graphic design, coding, and fashion design.
Physical Expressions (PE) are six-week electives in movement, sports, and fitness that promote physical health and teamwork. Exploratory options are based on student interest and specialist availability. These have included martial arts, rock climbing, pickleball, stage combat, skateboarding, parkour, and field sports, and court sports.
Extra-Curriculars
Twice a year, students embark on overnight or multi-day adventures that bring classroom learning to life. Rooted in Montessori’s experiential philosophy, these journeys deepen academic understanding while building independence, teamwork, and confidence. Past destinations have included Washington, D.C., New York City, West Virginia, the Grand Canyon, the Catalina Islands, and Moab, Utah.
Through Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN), students step into the role of global delegates, tackling real-world issues from the UN agenda. This transformative experience culminates in New York City, where they join around 1,500 peers from around the world to build consensus and draft resolutions—documents that are delivered to the desk of the UN Secretary-General. The journey concludes with a closing ceremony in the UN General Assembly Hall, giving students a powerful and unforgettable sense of global citizenship and leadership.
Our extracurricular offerings often grow from student interests and the talents of our community. When students voice a desire to learn or explore something new outside of the curriculum, experts are sought out to share their expertise in these areas. Through this, students gain access to unique opportunities in areas like arts, STEM, service work, and leadership.
Why Radmoor Middle School?
We understand middle schoolers—how they think, feel, and grow. Our program is built around their unique needs, helping them thrive academically, socially, and emotionally during this transformative time.
Aligned with standards yet far-reaching, our curriculum blends inquiry, fieldwork, and collaboration across subjects. A block schedule replaces the elementary work cycle, and growth is measured through competency-based assessments with feedback, reflection, and goal-setting.
Students engage in meaningful projects and community-based experiences that make learning active, joyful, full of discovery, and connected to life beyond school.
Through gardening, cooking, and caring for shared spaces, students learn responsibility and teamwork. Leadership roles build civic engagement and real-world skills.
Students partner with local organizations to restore ecosystems, monitor water quality, and tackle civic challenges—making learning authentic and impactful.
Entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, and leadership are at the heart of the middle school experience. From running a student business to developing long-term projects and leading their own conferences, students develop creativity, decision-making, and confidence for an ever-changing world.
Mentorship, collaboration, and weekly Advisory meetings foster resilience, empathy, and personal growth within a trusted community.
Middle school is a time to discover who you are. We empower students to own their learning, discover who they are, and build independence and purpose.
