Upper School | Grades 5-8
Where challenge grows, independence takes hold, and students step forward as leaders.
Academic Challenge. Growing Independence. Authentic Leadership.
Upper School students are expected to think deeply, manage increasingly complex work, and communicate their ideas with clarity. Through academics, collaboration, leadership, athletics, service, and community responsibility, they develop the judgment, independence, and confidence to take ownership of what comes next.
The middle school years should expand a child’s world, not diminish their confidence.
Adolescence brings significant intellectual, social and emotional change. Within a PreK–8 environment, Upper School students are not lost in the middle of a larger institution. They are the school’s emerging leaders. They are challenged by teachers who understand this stage of development and supported by a community that expects them to contribute. Students learn to navigate increasing independence while remaining connected to trusted adults, classmates and the broader life of the school.
The Upper School Promise
ACADEMIC CHALLENGE
Students encounter increasingly sophisticated ideas, substantive discussion, advanced coursework, and opportunities to apply their knowledge.
GROWING INDEPENDENCE
Students learn to manage their time, advocate for themselves, organize complex work, and take increasing ownership of their learning.
AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP
As the oldest students on campus, Upper Schoolers have meaningful opportunities to lead, mentor, contribute, and represent their school.
A Thoughtful Transition to Upper School
Grade 5 provides a purposeful bridge between Lower School and the increasingly departmentalized structure of Grades 6–8.
Students begin managing more teachers, subjects, and long-term assignments while retaining the structure and guidance needed to develop strong organizational habits.
By Grades 6–8, students move through a fully departmentalized program including mathematics, science, humanities, world language, visual and performing arts, technology, and daily physical education.
Academics That Prepare Students for What Comes Next
Upper School brings greater academic challenge, increasing independence, and a more departmentalized learning experience. Grade 5 provides a thoughtful transition, while Grades 6–8 move into a fully departmentalized program designed to prepare students for the expectations of high school.
Across disciplines, students are expected to think deeply, communicate clearly, conduct research, manage increasingly complex work, and take greater ownership of their learning.
Humanities
Grade 5 strengthens reading comprehension, literary analysis, writing, vocabulary, and the study of early American history and government. In Grades 6–8, English and history come together through an integrated Humanities program where literature, writing, geography, history, government, and current events are explored through shared themes and multiple perspectives.
Mathematics
Students develop conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and problem-solving skills through concrete, pictorial, and abstract approaches. Standard, accelerated, and double-accelerated pathways provide appropriate challenge, with advanced students able to complete Algebra I and Geometry by the end of Grade 8.
Science
Earth, life, chemical, and physical sciences provide a strong foundation for high school study. Laboratory investigations and field research bring concepts to life, from studying our campus brook to conducting research on Long Island Sound and exploring science through engineering and design.
World Languages
Students continue focused study in either Spanish or Mandarin, developing greater proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural understanding as they build upon the foundations established in earlier grades.
The Upper School Experience
Growing Independence
As students progress through Upper School, assignments become increasingly complex and long-term, requiring greater organization, planning, and independent work.
Students learn to manage multiple teachers and responsibilities, communicate directly with faculty, collaborate effectively with peers, and take increasing ownership of their progress. These experiences build the habits, confidence, and self-awareness they will need in high school and beyond.
Leadership & Public Speaking
In a PreK–8 school, Upper School students are the leaders of their community.
Students have meaningful opportunities to mentor younger children, represent the school, contribute through service, lead community activities, and take responsibility for school traditions and experiences. Public speaking, developed throughout the grades, culminates in Grade 8 when each student prepares and delivers a speech before the school community.
Advisory
Beginning in Grade 6, every student is part of a small faculty advisory group that meets regularly for conversation, reflection, organization, and goal-setting.
Advisors provide students with a consistent adult mentor as they navigate increasing academic responsibility and independence. Working in partnership with students, families, and teachers, advisors help students develop the judgment, accountability, and self-awareness that become increasingly important during the middle school years.
Makerspace, Robotics & Technology
Making, designing, building, and problem-solving continue throughout Upper School in the MakerSpace, where students work with materials ranging from wood, metal, and fabric to robotics and 3D printing.
Beginning in Grade 5, Chromebooks become purposeful academic tools for writing, research, communication, collaboration, and digital creation. Technology use grows in sophistication throughout Upper School while remaining balanced with discussion, hands-on learning, physical materials, and direct experience.
Arts, Athletics & Co-Curricular Life
Visual and performing arts, daily physical education, athletics, and co-curricular activities remain an important part of every student’s Upper School experience.
Through creative work, competition, clubs, ensembles, publications, and other opportunities, students discover new interests while developing discipline, teamwork, confidence, and a stronger sense of themselves.
Field Experiences
Learning regularly moves beyond campus.
Field experiences connect classroom study with the cultural, scientific, artistic, and natural resources of the region. As students grow older, these experiences expand to include more ambitious day and overnight travel, giving students opportunities to apply their learning, build independence, and experience new environments together.
Service Learning
Service helps students understand that leadership also carries responsibility.
Throughout Upper School, students participate in experiences that connect them with needs beyond themselves. Through sustained community and environmental initiatives, students learn to contribute meaningfully, work alongside others, and recognize their own capacity to make a difference.
Assessment & Communication
Upper School students demonstrate their learning through written and verbal assessments, presentations, laboratory work, research, and individual and collaborative projects.
Letter grades continue throughout Upper School, with final examinations beginning in Grade 6. Families receive interim and formal narrative progress reports each trimester and participate in conferences twice each year.
As students mature, they are increasingly expected to understand their own progress, communicate directly with teachers, and take responsibility for what comes next.
Ready for high school and prepared to lead.
By Grade 8, Unquowa students have spent years learning to think independently, manage challenging work, communicate with adults, speak before an audience, collaborate with peers, and contribute to a community.
They leave prepared not simply for the academic expectations of high school, but with the confidence and independence to step into a larger world and make their place within it.
See what learning looks like at Unquowa.
The best way to understand our program is to experience it during the school day.
