Middle School (Grades 4–7)
Middle School at Urban Academy is a season of self-discovery and exploration. We provide a bridge between the foundational years of Junior School and the specialized focus of Senior School by encouraging students to step beyond their comfort zones. It is a time when students move from being guided learners to becoming articulate, self-motivated agents of their own education, discovering how their studies connect to the world around them.
Essential Reading
To learn more about our curriculum, specialist instruction, and the daily rhythm of life at Urban Academy, we invite you to explore the details of our program:
The Urban Academy Difference
Every Student is Known
The Platoon Model: Students transition from a single homeroom to a specialized “Platoon” teaching system. They learn from subject experts in Math, Science, and the Humanities while maintaining a close-knit bond with a Homeroom teacher who understands their individual rhythm and growth.
Spirited Belonging: We celebrate what makes each student unique. Through house competitions and student-led initiatives, our community becomes a place where passions are shared, and every voice has a home.
Student Well-Being: Middle school is a season of transformation. Our students have direct access to a dedicated counsellor and age-appropriate social-emotional learning, ensuring they have the tools to navigate change with confidence.
Every Student is Stretched
Discovering New Talents: By immersing every student in music and performing arts, we challenge them to take creative risks. Whether finding their voice or mastering an instrument, students build the courage to stand tall on any stage.
Building Grit: Resilience is a muscle developed both in the classroom and on the field. From multi-day wilderness camps in our Outdoor Education and camp program to the fast-paced teamwork of competitive athletics, students learn that growth happens when things get a little dusty. They discover they are capable of more than they imagined.
Curiosity Without Limits: We push students to explore the “why” behind every lesson. Through coding, technology, and the sciences, students think critically and master the complex skills that spark lifelong interests.
Every Student is Future-Ready
Taking the Lead: Future-readiness is a daily practice. Middle schoolers take on real responsibility as ambassadors, athletics managers and arts leads, learning that leadership is about service and action.
Academic Confidence: We encourage students to test their ideas against the world. By entering math competitions or writing contests, our students strive for excellence and view every challenge as a milestone in their journey.
Digital Literacy: We integrate technology into the natural rhythm of the school day. Through a collaborative cloud-based culture, and intentional AI exposure, students master the digital tools and professional habits they will use for the rest of their lives
The Middle School Experience
Creative Learning
In Middle School, creativity moves from play to “Instrumental Exploration” and specialized expression. Commitment to the arts allows students to expand their experience and grow in their self-confidence.
Exploring Music: Music is a core part of the Middle School experience every year. While students engage in music throughout Grades 4 and 5, our Grade 6 Music Rotation is a special milestone. Students learn instruments in both Orchestral Strings and Band before choosing their instrument to pursue in Grade 7 and beyond.
Media Arts and Drama: Students do not just consume media; they create it. From stage performances to digital storytelling, students use specialist-led elective blocks to master different languages of expression.
Innovative Learning
Innovation at UA is rooted in the ADST (Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies) curriculum and the school’s digital culture.
Design Thinking and Robotics: Students engage in hands-on building and programming. By moving from basic logic to complex robotics, they learn to prototype, test, and refine their ideas to solve real-world problems.
The Maker Mindset: Innovation is a daily habit. Whether through coding or physical construction, students are encouraged to take things apart, understand how they work, and build something better.
Collaborative Problem-Solving: Students use digital platforms as a shared canvas. By working on live, synchronized projects, they mirror the interconnected way the modern world solves its biggest challenges.
Experiential Learning
We believe the most profound lessons happen when students are immersed in the environment they are studying.
Tiered Outdoor Education: Our program scales with the student, starting with “practice” overnight camps in Grade 4, leading to multi-night wilderness immersions and the Gibsons Farm Camp in Grade 7.
Field Studies: Whether it’s exploring local ecosystems or visiting urban centers, students “surround themselves within the world” to understand it.
Hands-on Science: Through the Garden Project, students apply biology to the real world, experiencing the full cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting in the UA garden.
Real-World Integration
We believe that learning extends far beyond the classroom walls. By connecting academics to physical activity and community service, we help students see the purpose behind their hard work and the impact they can have on the world around them.
Leadership in Action: Students take on helpful roles as Ambassadors, Athletics Scorekeepers, and Performing Arts Helpers. These responsibilities are balanced with “buddy time,” where Middle Schoolers join younger grades to help with reading, math games, or shared projects.
Understanding Self: Real-world readiness begins with self-awareness. Through Open Parachute, students explore how their brains determine their actions and reactions, giving them the tools to navigate daily challenges with composure.
Inspired by Community: Learning is connected to real-life career paths through regular engagement with guest experts, including industry professionals and cultural presenters, expanding students’ understanding of where their studies can lead.