Middle School Program

Crestmont offers a unique alternative to the typical middle school experience.

Our middle schoolers focus on their scholastic interests and academic skill-building while learning through hands-on, real life experiences, such internships and field studies.

Students are able to capture and explore their budding interests and feel a real connection to their community and to their futures.

Our graduates enter high school with a strong sense of who they are, and feelings of ownership, enthusiasm and pride for their education.

“What do I love about teaching 10-14 year olds? Everything: they are curious, capable critical thinkers who are challenging themselves to figure out who they are, and who challenge me daily to be the most creative teacher and kindest mentor I can be.”

Middle School Humanities Teacher Lisa Hayle

Project-based Learning

Visit Crestmont’s Middle School classrooms and you will see teachers balancing direct instruction with cooperative learning.

They take an interdisciplinary, project-based approach, which ensures that students are mastering the skills and content taught.

This project work provides students with ample opportunities to discover their passions and engage deeply with the world around them.

Projects include:

  • Teaching science lessons to their kindergarten buddy

  • Leading a seminar on a subject of their choosing

  • Interning with a local theater group or food justice organization

  • Facilitating an after-school chess class

  • Designing and creating a mural for the Crestmont campus

Watch Middle School teacher Lisa Hayle describe Crestmont’s unique approach to Middle School pedagogy.

  • Before I came to Crestmont, my middle school experience was not ideal. Crestmont gave me the best middle school year that I’ve had, and I’m happy I decided to join the school. I wouldn’t have had such a positive eighth grade experience if it weren’t for the staff and teachers.

    Shiloh, Middle Schooler

  • Something that makes Crestmont so beneficial to the class is that the teachers are emotionally invested in the well-being of their students.

    Jenny, Middle Schooler

  • Being able to attend Crestmont has been a privilege that I am grateful for. Not only is it a great school academically, but it’s also a community with a welcoming and caring social environment.

    Lia, Middle Schooler