6 Things Pre-Teens Need in Middle School

Is your child preparing for middle school? As a parent, it can be challenging to know what might be the best fit for your pre-teen — homeschool, a virtual online school, a private Christian school, or a public school. Your middle schooler may desire more independence and seek to take on more responsibility. Yet, they still need individualized support and attention. When looking for a school, you want to find a supportive learning environment tailored to your child’s needs.

Here are six things to look for as you explore middle school options for your child:

1 - Alignment with beliefs and values

Your middle schooler will spend more than 3,600 hours in school from fifth to eighth grade. Your child’s school will influence their beliefs, values, and self-confidence, so it’s important to find a nurturing environment where they can try new things, broaden their horizons, and where they are known and taught the same values you’re teaching at home. More than an education, you want your child to grow spiritually and be grounded in their faith.

At Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy, your child can experience a gospel-centered, Kingdom-focused college-preparatory learning environment, creating a foundation of a Christ-centered worldview to prepare your child for high school and life.

Discover how to make the most out of the middle school years Download Understanding the Mind of a Middle Schooler

2 - Academic excellence

You want your child to receive exposure to various disciplines so they will be prepared to apply, analyze, evaluate, and think critically while learning through a biblical lens. Our PK-12 curriculum includes:

• English

• Language arts

• Mathematics

• Science

• Social studies

• Foreign language

• Technology

ELCA’s academic program will challenge and support your child at a pace that is right for them.

3 - Diverse community

A diverse community can help your middle schooler develop empathy, compassion, and adaptability and learn to interact with peers from different backgrounds and with unique perspectives. At ELCA, we cherish diversity and emphasize unity, reminding students that each individual is known, valued, and distinctly created by God.

Celebrating differences helps middle schoolers experience a sense of belonging. We encourage students with all abilities, personalities, and learning styles so that students come to learn that diversity is not something to run away from but embrace. A Council on Diversity, consisting of parents, staff members, and students, discusses and implements creative ways to blend, improve, and strengthen our school’s diverse community and culture.

4 - Exploration of interests

In middle school, students start discovering what most interests them. Access to various activities and clubs will allow your child to try new things and explore their emerging interests. Student organizations with leadership roles and peer collaboration can help boost self-confidence and encourage social growth.

At ELCA, students can pick from several dynamic electives ranging from robotics to a diverse Fine Arts Program. Fifth through eighth graders can serve in Student Government or work together on service projects in Junior Beta Club. Team sports at the middle school level include baseball, cross country, track and field, football, softball, volleyball, spirit cheer, basketball, and wrestling.

​5 - Servant Leadership

Allowing your child to lead through service will help them understand the importance of influence, responsibility, empathy, and compassion. ELCA’s World Impact Program offers middle-schoolers opportunities to develop outside the classroom by serving our community, attending spiritual retreats, and participating in domestic mission trips.

ELCA intentionally partners with ministries established in other regions of the country and world, giving students the opportunity to see how different life can be for others in their community and abroad.

6 - Support

Your child’s school should provide support inside and outside the classroom. Having the peace of mind that your child is known and seen by their teachers is vital to developing confidence and a can-do attitude for their future.

At ELCA, your child will learn from qualified teachers passionate about teaching, allowing your middle schooler the opportunity to be mentored and discipled academically, emotionally, and spiritually. Your student will be led by example and see their teacher model similar values you model at home, setting them on a path to success. From modeling and service, your child will develop character and leadership skills.

Each student learns differently, so we offer support services to students with diagnosed learning differences with resources that build success in the classroom. The MERIT Program (Multi-faceted Educational Resources and Instructional Technology) assists students in becoming active and competent learners in the classroom by working in conjunction with the student’s classroom teachers to develop a learning profile for each student.

Like you, we want your child to be successful in the classroom and beyond.

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