Middle School

Delivering on our Mission

Purpose + Citizenship

Through purpose-driven learning and real-world engagement, Middle School students discover who they are, understand their responsibility to others, and grow into thoughtful, active citizens prepared to lead with integrity.

Middle School Outcomes

Purpose + Citizenship

Academic: Rigorous, integrated, and meaningful curriculum in preparation for high school and beyond.

Social Emotional: Safe space to explore one’s sense of self and identity while experiencing adolescence and developing a moral compass and ability to make healthy decisions.

Experiential: The city becomes a classroom with student-centered trips and internships, in addition to national and/or international trips that are integrated with curriculum and service learning.

At MAC's Middle School, learning is about discovery. Our approach is student-centered, with our educators guiding students to hone 21st century skills like critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration.

Lessons are tailored to student interest, learning style, need and ability, so learning has context that is meaningful for each learner. At MAC Middle, knowledge is not delivered by our educators, but rather co-created with each learner as our educators harness teachable moments to scaffold learning as thinking, feeling and doing. Our entrepreneurial approach to learning focuses on connecting with each learner’s unique gifts in order to bring out the best in them.

MAC's Middle School is a private school located in Denver, Colorado and is one of the first purpose-based middle schools in the United States. We foster students' development of a greater sense of self and their contribution to the outside world by guiding students on a journey of thinking, feeling and doing.

THINKING

With Innovative Academics

The curriculum at MAC's Middle School pairs student interest and rigorous content within a dynamic, experiential structure. MAC Middle prioritizes the intrinsic motivation of students and helps them stay engaged in the learning process by aligning their beliefs with curricular goals. Curriculum is created in alignment with the common core state standards and backward designed from high school preparatory standardized assessments to ensure that students are well prepared academically for high school, college and career readiness.

FEELING

With Exploration of Character

Each student brings a uniqueness that is honored in MAC's Middle School. We recognize the importance of tapping into student interest in order to create opportunities for growth. Our educators use the strengths and curiosities of students, coupled with a strong social emotional curriculum that allow learners to access learning in ways that are meaningful to them. We encourage each student's exploration of values and strengths so they have a strong understanding of themselves and are able to advocate for their needs within the school community and beyond.

DOING

With a Fearless, Forward Mindset

MAC's Middle School fosters each student's understanding that we are all part of a larger community and encourages self reflection on their place within it. Students explore themes of identity, community and their individual universe of obligation to expand this consciousness. They use the outside world as a classroom to connect with the world as they develop their independence and collaboration with others. Learners engage with communities through regional and international trips to find ways to give back as well as promote understanding and appreciation of different people and perspectives.

Middle School Curriculum & Learning Approach

Our Learning Approach

Our integrated, multi-modal pedagogical approach is learner inspired with lessons tailored to individual interests and learning styles meant to foster discovery, critical-thinking and experimentation. We will use the best tenets of place-based, purpose-driven, Montessori and other research-based pedagogies to guide the learning process.

Our educators guide learners to sharpen intuitive as well as rational thinking that results in meaningful action, which is the heart of our thinking, feeling, and doing approach to education. We encourage each learner to be self-directed and self-motivated in their educational experience by finding meaning in their learning journey.

We start by knowing each student deeply, showing respect and curiosity for the interests and intuitive capabilities of each learner and use that knowledge to develop customized learning. We don’t believe in top-down teaching, instead we encourage learning through research, discovery and experience to build important critical thinking skills to prepare learners for their future.

Curriculum + Assessment

Our educators inspire excellence in highly complex and rigorous units designed with the common core state standards in mind. Our low student-teacher ratio allows educators to cultivate close relationships with learners, ensuring that each child is deeply known and understood, enabling them to customize learning that inspires them to reach their full potential.

Educators assess learning progress on a continuous basis through individual engagement with learners to fine-tune and customize instruction. We use MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) assessments, which are computer adaptive achievement tests in Mathematics, Languages Usage, Reading, and Science to assist in making informed decisions to promote students' academic growth.

Real World Learning

MAC Middle educators guide students to lead their own learning, using our unique urban setting as a learning lab to engage in real-world learning experiences and dig deeper into academic content. This includes weekly "Walkabout Wednesday" trips during which students have the opportunity to engage with community experts in various fields, allowing them to apply learning to the outside world. MAC Middle also regularly hosts community and business leaders on campus to learn about the journeys of others and how they've found and applied purpose in their lives.

Digital Literacy

Middle School FAQs

Are there uniforms?

Uniforms are not required for middle grade students. Clothing can be a form of self expression and students are expected to wear clothes that they feel safe and ready to learn in. If a situation arises when an adult feels as though certain attire does not align with our school values or does not allow a student to fully engage classroom activities we reserve the right to ask them to change.

How are MAC Middle students involved in directing their learning?

What are the benefits of a K-8 school?

K-8 schools are noted for providing academic and social benefits to students. Research from the American Education Research Journal found that students who attended a K-8 school are more comfortable, feel safer, and ultimately perform better academically than their counterparts at traditional middle or 6-12 schools. This is partly due to the continuity that K-8 schools offer to students at the critical development period of early adolescence. Their connection to the familiar and the fact that they are known both personally and academically provide security and predictability during a time of rapid physical and emotional changes.

How is Montessori integrated into the MAC Middle experience?

The traditional Montessori Secondary program responds to the adolescent's need to exhibit creativity, problem solve, take responsibility, and claim independence. The MAC Middle program supports these same needs with a teaching team that has deep, foundational experience in the Montessori method. The program expands on the traditional Montessori experience by utilizing a multi-pedagogical approach to each individual unit and child, combining elements of purpose-based and place-based pedagogies to guide students toward successful academic and social-emotional outcomes.

What curriculum will be used ?

Our curriculum aligns with the common core standards, allowing for exploration of unique units of study that match individual student interests. Learning includes thesis writing, advanced science and math, language and historical events, in addition to art history, community engagement, service work, entrepreneur and business opportunities. While teachers gather materials and create scope and sequences that reflect national standards, student reflections, thoughts and ideas create the topics for future units.

How is learning measured?

MAC uses progress monitoring and responsive assessments to track data and support growth. In advisory, these tools will be monitored by the students in order to provide ownership and reflection of goals. MAC also uses MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) assessments which are computer adaptive achievement tests in Mathematics, Languages Usage, Reading and Science to assist in making informed decisions to promote students' academic growth.

How long is the MAC Middle school year?

Where is MAC Middle?

How are students prepared for High School placement?

Middle School Merit Scholarships

MAC offers a limited number of Merit Scholarships for rising 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Though these students may not demonstrate financial need, they exemplify MAC’s mission and our unique purpose-based Middle School curriculum. You may find out more information on the scholarship as well as how to apply here.

Other Tuition Assistance Opportunities

We strive to increase financial accessibility to MAC and have several opportunities to help families afford a MAC education. MAC offers financial assistance options to eligible students including our Tuition Adjustment program, Curtis Park Scholarship, Endowment Scholarship and Middle School Merit Scholarship.

Learn More

MAC Middle Featured in NAIS Independent Schools Magazine

MAC’s Middle School is one of the first purpose-based schools in the United States and was recently featured in the October issue of NAIS Independent Schools Magazine. MAC's Middle School fosters a rich inward and outward journey for students to develop a greater sense of self and their contribution to the outside world. Students are immersed in authentic and applicable learning environments. Each academic unit centers around practicing critical thinking, empathy, communication, and action in the real world.

"We are so grateful for MAC and the role it has played in the development and education of our daughter. During her tenure at MAC she learned to be kind, thoughtful, well organized, engaged in class and diligent in her work. She practiced social skills in a supportive environment and learned how to present her ideas and advocate for herself and others in a graceful manner. She has had a smooth transition from MAC to Colorado Academy and is well prepared and thriving in this new environment. We are grateful for the support MAC has provided over the years and we know she will always have a strong bond with her teachers and classmates."-Whitney MAC Middle Alumni Parent

Now accepting applications! To learn more about our admissions process, click below.

Admissions Process