Middle School

Introduction

The Middle School years are a pivotal time for intellectual, social, and personal growth. Students are developing their identities, discovering new interests, and seeking greater independence while navigating increasingly complex friendships. At Pine Street School, our Middle School education is designed around the developmental needs of early adolescents, combining academic challenge with thoughtful guidance through this important transition.

Small classes allow teachers to understand each student's strengths, recognize when they need support, and offer individualized feedback. Through inquiry-based IB academics and interdisciplinary projects, students are encouraged to think critically, explore their creativity, and pursue their interests. As they work through challenges and experience progress, they build confidence in their abilities and take greater ownership of their learning.

Our warm, inclusive environment fosters meaningful relationships and a strong sense of belonging. Every student is known and encouraged to participate, try unfamiliar things, and discover what excites them. Close relationships with teachers and peers give students the confidence to be themselves and begin shaping who they want to become.

Through language immersion, collaborative projects, service, and international experiences, students apply their knowledge beyond the classroom while developing the academic foundations, judgment, and independence they will draw on in high school.

Language Immersion Program

Students choose between Spanish, Mandarin, or German tracks, with 80 minutes of daily target-language instruction. Aligned with ACTFL standards and the MYP Language Acquisition framework, the program develops listening, speaking, reading, and writing as students use language for increasingly complex communication, inquiry, and academic learning.

Through classroom discussions, collaborative projects, and practical conversations, students gain confidence using their languages in meaningful contexts. These experiences also prepare them to engage with different cultures and perspectives during international travel.

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The IB Programme

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) builds on the Primary Years Programme (PYP), with inquiry remaining central. As an MYP Candidate School, Pine Street School follows the MYP framework as students develop their own questions, investigate different perspectives, and learn to support their ideas with evidence.

The MYP’s interdisciplinary approach encourages students to make connections across subjects and apply what they are learning to meaningful, real-world questions. This approach is particularly well suited to early adolescence, when students are forming their own opinions, questioning assumptions, and exploring their interests with greater independence.

Challenging academic work, discussion, and creative problem-solving help students build intellectual confidence while developing a deeper understanding of both their subjects and the world around them.

Academic Areas:

An Example of Transdisciplinary Learning:

A 7th Grade inquiry into trade and resources might examine resource distribution in Individuals and Societies, analyze cost, volume, and profit in Mathematics, and apply those ideas to possible solutions in Design Lab.

The MYP's Approaches to Learning develop thinking, research, communication, social, and self-management skills across disciplines, helping students become increasingly capable of organizing their work, explaining their ideas, and approaching unfamiliar challenges.

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Teacher Advisory and MYP Core:
‍During early adolescence, students need trusted adults who understand their individual strengths and recognize when they need guidance. At Pine Street School, close teacher relationships and dedicated advisory structures provide consistent academic and social-emotional support.

Every Middle School student is matched with a Teacher Advisor who follows their academic progress, supports goal-setting and reflection, provides social-emotional check-ins, communicates with families, and helps students navigate challenges.

Teachers encourage students to ask for help, advocate for themselves, manage difficulties, and gradually take greater responsibility for their decisions. These relationships help students feel comfortable expressing themselves while developing independence.

Each day begins with MYP Core, a dedicated hour for mentorship, connection, and support. Depending on student needs, this time may include advisory and life skills, flex time, service learning, health education, grade-level or mixed-age meetings, and community gatherings.

Leadership Skills

Middle School students are eager to be taken seriously, contribute their ideas, and pursue work that feels meaningful. Through inquiry-based projects, collaboration, and service, they have opportunities to explore their interests, exercise creativity, and take initiative.

Small classes create meaningful opportunities for students to take on leadership roles, contribute their ideas, and pursue initiatives that reflect their interests. With close teacher guidance, students develop the confidence to lead, take responsibility, and see their ideas through to completion. These experiences help them discover their strengths and build a foundation for leadership in high school and beyond.

The Grade 8 Community Project brings together inquiry, planning, and service. Students identify a community need, investigate it, plan and carry out a response, and reflect on the process before presenting their work to the school community.

These experiences develop competence, responsibility, and a stronger understanding of the contributions students can make beyond the classroom.

International Travel

International travel connects students' learning with firsthand experiences of other cultures and communities, encouraging independence, adaptability, and confidence beyond familiar settings.

In Grades 6 and 7, students travel to Costa Rica or German-speaking Europe, including Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, with destinations alternating each year. Grade 8 concludes with a capstone trip to China that deepens students' connection to Mandarin language and culture.

Students prepare by researching their destinations and completing related action-oriented projects. Through these experiences, they practice communicating across cultures, navigating unfamiliar situations, and connecting their learning with the wider world.

Assessment & Academic Growth

Assessment helps students understand their progress and gives teachers information to guide individualized support and academic challenge.

Middle School follows the MYP's criteria-based approach. Each subject is assessed against four specific criteria, with task-specific rubrics making expectations clear. Final grades reflect evidence gathered across the criteria rather than the result of a single test or assignment.

Students also receive an Attitude and Application grade that considers responsibility, organization, participation, work habits, and their response to feedback.

MAP Growth, Avant STAMP, and the ERB Comprehensive Testing Program continue through Middle School. Teachers consider these results alongside projects, writing, presentations, and daily classroom work to understand students' strengths, monitor growth, and determine next steps.

This combination of assessment and individualized feedback helps students recognize their progress, understand where they can improve, and become more aware of how they learn.

Preparing for High School

Preparation for high school develops through the work students do every day: understanding challenging material, organizing their time, explaining their thinking, and learning to seek and use feedback.

As students progress through Middle School, they take increasing ownership of their academic responsibilities and develop the confidence, communication skills, and self-awareness needed for high school.

Focused high school admissions preparation begins in Grade 7, with personalized support for students applying to independent and public high schools, including NYC’s highly competitive specialized high schools. Preparation is tailored to each student’s goals and may include entrance exams such as the ISEE, as well as guidance on essay writing, portfolio and audition requirements, public speaking, and interviews.

Pine Street School has a team of dedicated tutors, educators, and administrators that provide guidance on school selection, application strategy, and admissions timelines, helping students and families navigate the process with confidence.

In spring 2026, every student in Pine Street School’s inaugural Grade 8 class was admitted to their first-choice high school. Acceptances included some of NYC’s most sought-after independent schools, such as Trinity, Brearley, The Packer Collegiate Institute, Spence, and Friends Seminary, as well as specialized public high schools including Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Latin, and LaGuardia.

Among students who took the SHSAT, 50% received offers to specialized high schools, compared with approximately 15% citywide.*

_{*Based on Fall 2026 admissions results. Two of four Pine Street School students who took the SHSAT received offers (50%), compared with approximately 15% of test takers citywide. Source: NYC Public Schools, 2026 SHSAT admissions data.}

Global Futures Scholarships

Competitive full-tuition scholarships are available for academically strong students currently attending U.S. public schools and entering Grade 5 or Grade 6 in Fall 2027.

Awards continue through Grade 8, including tuition increases, subject to continued academic standing and demonstrated financial need. Previous Mandarin or Spanish proficiency is not required.

Applicants who are not selected for a full-tuition scholarship may still be considered for admission with need-based financial aid, subject to demonstrated need and available funding.

Applications due December 4, 2026. Ravenna application fee waived.

Next Step: High School Placement

Ages 1-2 Nursery 1s and 2s Ages 3-4 Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 Kindergarten-Grade 5 Elementary School Grades 6-8 Middle School What Comes Next High School Placement

High School Placement

Personalized high school counseling begins in Grade 7 with tutoring, interview preparation, and strategic guidance for students and families. In spring 2026, all students in our inaugural Grade 8 class were admitted to their first-choice high school.

Explore High School Placement