At Menaul Middle School we educate students in Mind, Body, and Spirit. Middle School is an exciting time of transition in many ways, but it’s also a complicated one. Students need help navigating the many aspects of their passage from childhood into young adulthood. Our teachers embrace students’ strengths in order to create a safe space that models and reinforces respect, compassion, kindness, and other prosocial skills.
Menaul School has a holistic approach to education, where our students build a strong academic foundation as well as social-emotional skills. We want them to be good people as much as we want them to be good students.
Students Grow Academically Within a Culture of Kindness
At Menaul, we believe these early years are some of the most important in a child’s academic and personal journey. That’s why we create an environment where students are both challenged and supported—where high academic standards meet a culture of kindness and care.
Middle school is a time of exploration, and at Menaul, students begin to engage in meaningful conversations about values, character, and the world around them. We introduce philosophical discussions that help them think critically and reflect on what matters most. Through community service, they learn the importance of giving back and making a difference.
This is also when students start discovering their interests—whether in the arts, music, world religions, or simply beginning to dream about the future. With early college prep woven in, they gain the confidence and curiosity to imagine what’s possible.
Menaul Middle School isn’t just preparing students for high school—it’s helping them become thoughtful, compassionate, and confident individuals.
Big Impact Through Small Class Sizes
At Menaul Middle School, our small class sizes are a cornerstone of the supportive, connected environment we create for our students. With a low student-to-teacher ratio, every child is truly known—not just by name, but as a whole person.
Check Out Our Middle School Curriculum
A Closer Look at the Middle School Experience
Our sixth-grade core classes, Humanities and STEM, are taught in 90-minute blocks. This creates a softer introduction to middle school than most schools can offer. Student’s normally go from having 1 class in elementary school to having 7 in middle school. This is an overwhelming transition that the Menaul School avoids by having a Humanities Block and STEM block.
The 6th grade team creates an amazing learning experience for our new middle school students by creating connections within each subject area, this also gives students less transition time and over all less volume to manage.
Sixth grade students also receive ample support in our four different introduction classes! See below for details:
| Introduction to Band Participation in music is a wonderful way to encourage new development in exploration. In this class students are introduced to different instruments. Students choose an instrument to play second semester and participate in performances throughout the year! | |||
Introduction to Religion In Introduction to Religion students are introduced to the Bible. Students read and discuss different passages and are encouraged to reflect on what resonates with them personally. | |||
| Introduction to Performance The Performing Arts class for 6th grade is designed to introduce you to various forms of artistic expression and communication. Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to explore drama, where you’ll step into different characters’ shoes and bring stories to life on stage. You’ll dive into the art of speech, learning how to communicate with confidence and poise, whether it’s through public speaking or delivering captivating presentations. Introduction to Technology 6th grade students learn how to use their iPad and navigate Canvas! Second semester, they are introduced to coding and robotics. |
In seventh grade, Menaul School teachers focus heavily on study skills and growth mindset. This is a transition year in middle school where accountability matters a little more than it did in sixth grade. Teachers prepare students for 8th grade by holding them accountable, reinforcing study skills, and creating an environment that fosters critical thinking.
| Spanish 7 Introduction to Spanish will help our students acquire the fundamentals of pronunciation and grammar, practical vocabulary, useful phrases and the ability to understand, read, write and speak simple Spanish. | Religion 7 In 7th grade, students do a study of ethics, and the theory of right and wrong. In this class students learn to think critically about ethical issues. |
In 8th grade, students should have mastered most of what it means to be a middle school student in both academic and leadership skills. Students should be able to think and work independently. We hope they leave Menaul Middle School with rigor and grit, to reason and work through complex assignments on their own. We lay a solid foundation for the love of learning through our curriculum.
| Religion 8 In 8th grade, students do a study of World Religion. Students take a look at the many world religions, their origins, and what roll they play in our modern world! | Spanish 8 Spanish 8 builds on the skills learned in 7th grade and focuses on conversational Spanish so students can converse and write short stories in Spanish! |
Menaul Middle School supplements classroom instruction with learning expeditions. Students investigate real-world topics across multiple subject areas. Learning Expeditions are immersive, week-long experiences that take students out of the “typical school day” structure. Students embark on a multi-disciplinary examination of a topic that includes service learning, field trips, and collaborative work.
Example Learning Expeditions:
- Mission to Mars
- If I Ran the Zoo
- Nutrition
- Oceans
- Shakespear in the Park
