Middle School
6th - 8th Grade
We believe that adolescents are capable of abstract critical reasoning; that mistakes, recoveries, and repairs foster healthy brain development and self-confidence; and that a balance of concrete skills and higher-order thinking are prerequisites for lifelong learning.
The Marylhurst Middle School program provides children time to grow up, space to play, and rigorous inquiry-based instruction that challenges each student intellectually and socially.
Curriculum in middle school builds on the progressive practice established in our Primary School program: yearlong thematic studies, student-directed learning, and mentor-apprentice relationships provide opportunities for leadership and support the development of individual passions.
Herons (6th - 8th Grade)
Monday - Friday 8:20a - 3:30p
In a Marylhurst classroom, much of what the students learn comes from each other. After all, a teacher is only one person, but imagine the depth and detail that can be covered by 20 (or so) researchers. Annually, from the week-long travel experience where students create itineraries relevant to their studies; to the winter science fair in which students form hypotheses and design experiments to understand the world around them; to the spring production where students produce and perform a full-scale production to dramatize their studies.
Whether they are working individually, in small groups, or as a whole, students are actively contributing information, insights, and personal perspectives to the subject at hand. Of course, the classroom teacher is always there to offer expert guidance to make certain the group works together as collaboratively and productively as possible.