Every middle school student will create, manage and communicate a personal learning inventory that will eventually turn into a modern digital portfolio of work.
The MMS Experience
Middle School
Where Wonder Meets Rigor
Middle schoolers are hungry for new responsibility, new leadership, and a greater sense of agency and potential impact in the world. Through experiential learning and studying real world problems, the MMS Middle School blends rigorous academics with subjects that feel consequential to students.
Core
School is not just about learning skills — it's about making sure that the lessons feel meaningful, memorable, and inspire further exploration. Our middle school day is structured around four core modes of learning: (1) Skill-building and practice: individual or small group work in school.
(2) Application: channeling newly-acquired knowledge into projects either on campus or off campus (3) Reflection and growth: time to ponder what worked, what didn’t, and where to go next (4) Community and collaboration: gathering to share recent developments with a focus on Mudita (feeling joy for others)
Problem-Based Curriculum
Rigor and relevance intermix as we examine timely topics through a multitude of lenses. Take for example, climate change. In literature, we can explore the story of climate-based migration through The Grapes of Wrath.
In biology, we might study the science of a microbiome and how weather patterns impact animal life, plant life, soil, and water. In math, we can use environmental data to model future changes.
Experiential Learning
Taking advantage of the bountiful opportunities New York City offers, MMS introduces students to inspiring people, jobs, and places, operating on the premise that there can be no discovery without exploration.
In our IDEA Lab (Imagine, Design, Explore, Actualize), students are guided to develop and see through personal projects with the support of mentors.
Curricular Highlights
To learn more about some hallmarks of our program, click on any of the subject headers.
Partnered with members of the school community, middle school students will learn to launch a business. They will propose a business plan, apply for funding, hire employees, build a product, and then bring that product to market. They will evaluate using a triple bottom line (People, Profit, Planet), and then share their learning.
We will prepare students for the next phase of their lives and education, high school. This support includes ISEE and SHSAT prep and interviewing and auditioning techniques.
Every student will produce a piece of original research in the field of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math). With the guidance of researchers from Columbia University, students will engage in academic research and present their findings. They will be empowered to think critically, design strong experiments, and deepen their understanding through exploration.
MMS middle schoolers will learn to persuasively share their ideas, speak with equal parts self-possession and self-awareness, and explain the logic of their arguments. These are valuable communications and leadership skills that we hone our entire lives. Our students will practice them daily, but in particular, at a bi-annual forum where they will present recent projects and research.
Learn about our curricula and how students' knowledge and skills build over time. Note: The Montessori Culture curriculum blends history, geography, science, art, and music.
