Middle School Years

We believe that our young adolescents deserve a middle school experience that is developmentally responsive, challenging, empowering and equitable. 

In the middle school model, teachers in core subject areas collaborate as a team to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of a common group of students and includes:

• Grades 6-8
• Student-centered teaching
• Seven periods or a block schedule of 4 classes daily that include electives and a Foundations Advisory class
• Teachers, counselors, social workers, and support staff work together to provide students with lessons that help them navigate peer conflict, friendships, bullying, stress and anxiety.
• Academics include challenging core and elective courses and college and career readiness programming.
• Every student is supported for who they are and who they hope to become by honoring and celebrating their culture, race/ethnicity and gender.
• Middle schools will strengthen English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum that expands Writer’s Workshop to 6th grade.
• Middle school schedules will be adjusted to a seven-period day to allow time for flexible scheduling, electives and a whole class period for the Foundations Advisory class.

Foundations is an advisory class that helps students ease into the transition from elementary to middle school.​​​

• The class will help students build a community of connectedness among their classmates and their teacher.
• The class is designed to help students feel connected to and advocated for by a team of teachers and staff.
• Students will be part of a caring environment with a focus on academic achievement, digital citizenship, social-emotional learning and college and career topics.
• Every student participates in the full period class (held every other day).
• The class is graded as Pass/No Pass.
• Every 8th grade student receives instruction on financial literacy topics. A capstone experience is attending Junior Achievement's Finance Park where students assume a persona, a job and a budget to work with.

Exciting Update: 8/2 Block Schedule Coming to SPPS Middle Schools!

Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Saint Paul Public Schools will implement an 8/2 block schedule across all middle schools. This schedule features eight 78-minute classes, with students attending four classes per day on a rotating basis.

Why the Change? This shift aligns middle school schedules with SPPS high schools and half of the middle schools already using the block format. The goal is to provide a more equitable and enriching experience for students and staff.

Key Benefits:

• Fewer Daily Transitions: Students concentrate on fewer subjects per day, enhancing focus and reducing stress.
• Extended Class Time: Longer periods foster stronger relationships and culturally responsive learning opportunities.
• Expanded Course Access: More time for deeper learning.
• Enhanced Foundations: A robust advisory component will support community building and social-emotional learning.
• Consistency Across Schools: Familiarity with the block schedule helps students who attend multiple SPPS schools during their secondary education.

Watch the block schedule video for a visual overview of how the block schedule works. 

Reach out to your school administrator or counselor for more information. 

Learn more about the middle school model as designed by the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE).

Saint Paul Public Schools is using the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE) to guide its middle school model. The following resources help explain more about how middle schools function to help students achieve. 

Young Adolescent Development

Developmental Characteristics of Young Adults

Middle School, Not Junior High

This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents