In 5th through 8th grades, we encourage and support our students through their growing need for independence and discovery, offering them a variety of opportunities to take on new challenges and explore the world. Teachers encourage 5th and 6th graders to learn the tools for self-sufficiency, organization, and responsibility. By the time they reach 7th and 8th grades, they are ready to use their new skills independently, and join the school’s laptop educational community. We put laptops in the hands of every 7th through 12th grade student to help them emerge as proficient and effective users of tools that will be so integral to their success in the 21st century.

Our foreign language immersion commitment puts our students two or more levels ahead of the North Carolina standard course of study, while students proficient in math can place into advanced and accelerated math courses. EXL Impact projects take on a more advanced student-directed focus. Through ongoing use of the Student Growth Portfolio, we continue to deliver the most appropriate level of challenge in all courses.

Expectations in all subjects and areas of personal responsibility increase in Middle School, as we prepare 8th graders for the challenges of Upper School, where the curriculum, time-management skills and service-learning commitments take learning to a higher level.