The MacDuffie School

In the MacDuffie Middle School, we emphasize the development of skills and values that will allow our students to be successful in high school, college and beyond. We offer a challenging and engaging curriculum that capitalizes on the natural enthusiasm middle school students have for learning. In our classrooms, children feel safe asking questions and expressing their opinions. Recognizing that students develop at different rates - physically, socially and intellectually - teachers at MacDuffie structure their lessons so that students can approach the material from a variety of vantage points.

As they negotiate the complicated transition from childhood to young adulthood, our students learn to work closely with each other and with their teachers and advisors so that by the time they enter high school, they have already begun to take ownership of their education. Because of the small class size and availability of regularly scheduled Extra Help at MacDuffie, when students do falter or struggle with a particular concept, teachers are able to work individually with them – not only to help them to overcome the particular obstacle, but also to help them know themselves as learners and carry that knowledge forward as they continue their education.

Through a combination of traditional classroom activities and experiential, hands-on and project-based learning, students pursue a greater understanding of the world around them. Each year, the entire Middle School focuses on a theme such as “the environment,” “equality,” or “social responsibility” in order to connect what they are learning with the lives they lead in and out of school. One afternoon per week, guest speakers reinforce this theme through presentations and activities designed with middle school aged students in mind. These talks and events allow our Middle School students to come together in order to build community and explore how what they learn matters beyond the classroom.

MacDuffie is a place where people treat each other well. We give students a safe environment to explore who they are and who they want to be. Along the way, we give them the tools they need to become strong critical thinkers, readers and writers. In technology, the arts, mathematics, science and the humanities, we provide a solid foundation essential for continued academic success.