Our Middle School Program is the culmination of Ambleside’s “Living Education”. Students at this stage have absorbed and applied their learning from previous years to serve as mature and joyful leaders of our school community. The rich, technology-free curriculum comprises great books, poetry, music, art, geography, Spanish language, citizenship, P.E. games. In science students learn the basics of robotics and coding. Eighth Graders graduate ready for high school and beyond, attending well-known institutions and giving back to their community.
CORE SKILLS: Language Arts, Mathematics and Science, Spanish
Language Arts: Middle School students read and analyze classic literature by authors such as Charles Dickens, Ray Bradbury, and Corrie Ten Boom, engaging in guided discussions as they grapple with difficult themes. They write persuasive essays and original compositions while refining grammar, logic, rhetoric, and style. Dictation, regular recitations and narration strengthen note-taking, memory, and confidence in public speaking, preparing students for the demands of high school.
Mathematics and Science: In Middle School math emphasizes mastery of foundational skills while advancing from pre-Algebra into Algebra. Following Ambleside’s math track, 8th graders graduate ready for freshman geometry. Science lessons combine labs, journal work and nature study to cultivate both curiosity and analytical observation. Together, math and science challenge students to think critically and apply fundamentals to real-world problems.
Spanish: Middle schoolers continue their course of Spanish study with advanced recitation, sequence drilling, reading, songs and composition. Graduating Eighth Graders may earn high school credit for Spanish I.
FAITH AND COMMUNITY: Developing a Biblical Worldview
Bible study in Middle School deepens students’ understanding of Scripture through Lectio Divina, memory and copy work, and Socratic-style conversations. Teachers encourage students to live out their faith and to maintain habits of study and devotion. Character training is woven into every subject, preparing students to enter high school with integrity and spiritual maturity.
Middle Schoolers begin to enter the world of apologetics by discussing difficult topics and opposing worldviews, so that they may be equipped to defend their faith as young adults. We aim to provide students with a strong Biblical worldview as a foundation for wrestling with challenging ideas in high school and beyond.
ARTS AND DRAMA: Appreciating and Cultivating Beauty
Middle Schoolers advance in the fine arts. Through studying works of art by the great masters, composers, and poets, students build their capacity for attention and cultivate an affection for beauty. With two curricular artists per year, our graduates are deeply familiar with 18 artists and over 200 masterpieces, such as works from Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Monet. They can recognize strains of music by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Copeland and many more. They delight in reading and reciting poetry by Coleridge, Hopkins, Rosetti, to name only a few. In addition to studying these great works, students create original compositions, reproductions, and collaborative projects.
After years of reciting sonnets and presenting shorter plays, Middle School’s annual full-length Shakespeare performance is a crowning achievement, blending music, drama, and poetry. They learn the elements of stagecraft and acting by executing plays under teacher directorship.
MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS: First Fridays, Mentorship, Volunteering
First Friday Outings: Monthly trips enlarge students’ minds and deepen friendships. Favorite events include a camping trip, visit to the Waterford Fair, kayaking on the Potomac, and the National Symphony.
Mentorship Opportunities: Older students are paired in a buddy system with younger children, fostering community through read-aloud, play, and role modeling.
Volunteer Positions: Middle Schoolers serve in chapel leadership, as safety patrols, in extracurricular choirs, and community events, developing a spirit of humility and responsibility.
By graduation, Ambleside Middle School students are confident learners and thoughtful young men and women. They enter high school well-prepared: intellectually curious, spiritually grounded, and eager to engage with the world. They become people who serve their community and strive to spread Christ’s Kingdom in everything they do. They speak of their years at Ambleside with fondness and gratitude.
If you’re looking for a Middle School that prepares children to be faithful, hardworking and service-oriented high schoolers, Ambleside may be the right fit for you. If you’d like to learn more, we invite you to attend our Middle School Open House on October 17th. If you are unable to attend on that date, our Admissions Team would love to connect with you on a personalized tour.
“Thought breeds thought; children familiar with great thoughts take as naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing and we must bear in mind that growth, physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, is the sole end of education.”