The Middle School Years

Our Middle School Program embraces the value of both intellectual and practical work as avenues for discovering an authentic sense of self. We foster the fullest development of the adolescent through academic study, creative expression, practical work, and meaningful engagement in an intentional community.

Three students studying together at a wooden table with notebooks, textbooks, and a laptop in a classroom with large windows showing outside trees.

Community, Outdoors & The Adolescent

Maria Montessori believed adolescence to be a time of great possibility—a period of increased creativity, sensitivity to beauty and justice, and critical thinking. At Pacific Crest, we embrace this philosophy by providing a nurturing environment where students can explore, grow, and lead. Our students engage in practical, creative, physical, and community work to develop a strong sense of self and find their place in society.

Group of children and a man gathered around a table outdoors, with some engaging in an activity involving a cardboard box.

Our 19 acre sustainable farm

is a key aspect of the Middle School experience. The Pacific Crest Farm is an ideal place to discover and study the interrelationships of natural and human systems on a simpler, more observable scale. The students come to know the farm deeply and develop strong social bonds while they work with each other, our farmers and teachers to care for the animals and the land.

Academic classes are also centered around the discovery of place, where the elements of each discipline are studied in relation to the real world we live in. Our emphasis on inquiry, critical thinking, compelling writing and collaborative work, inspires personal engagement.

Four children walking on a gravel path through a park with trees and bushes, some carrying tools like shovels, a pickaxe, and loppers.

Adolescents also participate in & lead

a variety of occupations at PCS. These include economic enterprises and community service work that allows students to acquire concrete experience and self-sufficiency in those systems of service and exchange that form the foundations of human society.

Creating and caring for a healthy community is an active part of the life of our Middle School students, and they discover and build their best selves through this work. Through all of this, we aim to create a safe space for adolescents to practice the roles of adulthood - with adult-like work and responsibilities, relationships with caring adults, and opportunities for reflection.

Five people in outdoor attire carry a wooden frame on a grassy area with trees in the background.

Experience a transformative Montessori education at Pacific Crest Middle School.

A woman wearing safety glasses using a saw to cut a piece of wood outdoors on a sunny day, with green grass and trees in the background.
Come to an Intro Event