Learning Leadership in the Middle School Years at Corbett Prep
From entertaining kids as the school mascot to organizing community food drives, Corbett Prep eighth graders know how to lead.
The structure of Corbett Prep as a PreK-8th grade school empowers preteens and young teens to act as role models, learn responsibility, and explore their interests outside of the shadow of a high school.
Faculty members give eighth graders opportunities to speak at major events, give admissions tours, run clubs, and represent the school at competitions. Younger grades watch this class, honing their leadership skills so they are ready to step in with confidence when it is their turn.
Schools that include elementary and middle school grades provide students with better social and academic experiences, studies show. They’re happier, perform better academically, and encounter less bullying than students who go to traditional middle schools.
Corbett Prep’s middle School is a safe place to learn and grow, thanks to educators who intentionally designed the program around the developmental needs of preteens and young teens. Student-centered practices and community building create a responsive environment that supports both academic achievement and personal growth.
This focus on and understanding of students in fifth through eighth grade earned Corbett Prep international recognition this summer from an organization that specializes in middle schools. The Association for Middle Level Education named Corbett Prep a School of Distinction for 2026.
This year, 39 schools in three countries received the AMLE designation, which honors schools for making an outstanding commitment to young adolescent education and setting “a powerful standard for middle grades best practices.”
“The 2026 Schools of Distinction once again remind us that great middle schools do not happen by accident, they are built through intentional practices, strong leadership and a deep understanding of young adolescents,” AMLE CEO Chris Woodside said in a news release.
Located across the street from one another, Corbett Prep’s elementary and middle school have separate classrooms, lunch areas, gyms, and fields but are close enough to retain a strong community feel. Activities such as buddy programs that pair younger and older students build relationships among all ages. Easy access to the middle School for classroom visits and special events helps elementary students feel more comfortable when they are ready to enter fifth grade.
As fifth graders, Corbett Prep students enter a nurturing environment that bridges elementary and middle school programs. They gain access to social-emotional resources that align with their needs as young adolescents.
This is the year that early adolescence starts, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Fifth graders are beginning to go through cognitive and physical changes that are more similar to older classmates than students in the younger elementary school grades.
A good middle school knows how to address those developmental changes, AMLE reports, and creates educational programs that meet those unique needs of this age group.
While the fifth graders mostly stay in their own classroom suite, they get to know the middle School better through a science rotation with the sixth- through eighth-grade teachers and select a multigrade elective to dive deeper into a personal interest.
They also work closely with sixth graders in advisory groups that help them meet more teachers and students, think about their values and identities and work on regulating emotions.
In all grades, students study in collaborative learning environments in an International Baccalaureate framework that ties units to a global context. Teachers encourage students to take increasing ownership of their learning while developing the confidence, agency, and sense of responsibility needed to contribute thoughtfully and positively to the world around them.
When Corbett Prep students complete eighth grade, they have gained the confidence to speak before audiences, the skills to work successfully on teams, and the grit to push outside their comfort zones.
High schools appreciate that our Corbett Prep graduates ask questions, are academically prepared, independent thinkers, and know how to work positively and respectfully with students of all cultures and backgrounds.
READ MORE:
- The Corbett Prep Difference
- Uncovering the Gift in Every Child
- Kids to Know: Jacob Pham, 8th grader at Corbett Prep
Presented By: Corbett Prep