Middle School Education Overview

You remember middle school. It was that exciting and awkward time between elementary and high school, when you weren’t a child anymore but definitely weren’t an adult. For many of us, middle school meant new friends and experiences, cool lockers and loud hallways! It was a time of transition and a marker for the beginning of adolescence. In addition to having an opportunity to learn new academic subjects, in middle school, many of us were introduced to extracurricular activities, like arts, music, and sports, that became lifelong passions. Finally, middle school was (and still is) an important time to close academic gaps experienced in elementary school in order to ensure success in high school and beyond.

Adolescence, which is now believed to begin in middle school at age 10 and extend to age 25, is an important time for growth - physical, emotional, and social - for young people.  According to the National Academy of Sciences:

The onset of puberty brings about changes in the limbic system region that heightens adolescents’ sensitivity to rewards, willingness to take risks, and awareness of social status - tendencies that are necessary for exploring new environments and building relationships outside of the family.

Middle schools which are responsive to the unique developmental needs of pre-teens help them develop a sense of meaning and purpose, find safe and satisfying ways to explore the world, and are staffed by warm and supportive teachers and other caring adults. Successful middle schools are also responsive to the unique talents and perspectives of the increasingly diverse student bodies they serve.

Math is just one subject that students are encouraged to begin to master in middle school. Studies show that performance in middle school math is a predictor of future success in high school and beyond. According to WestEd, “mastery of Algebra in particular is a critical step to enrollment and success in a college preparatory math sequence that can include trigonometry, pre-calculus, and calculus.”

Unfortunately, wide and persistent disparities in math proficiency exist for different populations.

Eighth Graders Who Scored Below Proficient Math Achievement Level by Race by (Percent) - 2019

One possible reason? Middle school students of all hues lack access to math courses. For example, in California, only 58% of students attend schools that offer eighth grade Algebra 1.

Percentage of Students Who Are Enrolled in Schools That Offer Eighth Grade Algebra 1

In the school year 2016-2017, there were over 12.5 million children aged 12-14 and who attended approximately 13,300 middle schools in the U.S.

Characteristics Among U.S. Students

While middle school can be a tough time for all adolescents, those who are marginalized because of the language they speak, their family income, or their race and ethnicity are most disadvantaged in our schools, which are not designed to serve their cultural or linguistic needs. This reality leads to a lack of proficiency in areas like English Language Arts. In 2017, 82% of Black and 77% of Latinx eighth graders were not proficient in reading, compared to 55% of white eighth graders. This isn't surprising given that 81% of Black fourth graders and 78% of Hispanic fourth graders were not proficient in reading and weren't adequately supported to catch up.

The achievement gaps we see in middle school and across the K-12 school system are caused by many variables. Here we briefly cover four structural barriers to student success and areas where donors can make a difference. For a more comprehensive view of what it takes to end disparities in education, read Diversity Within Unity: Essential Principles for Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society.

Lack of Teacher Diversity

Another challenge facing students of color is the lack of diversity among teachers. In 2015, nearly half of students were not white while less than a quarter of teachers were people of color. In the 2017-2018 school year, about 76% of public school teachers were white females, yet research shows that students of color perform better in school when they have at least one teacher of the same race because they act as role models and have a better cultural understanding.

Percentage Distribution of Teachers in Public Elementary Schools, by Race/Ethnicity

Kingmakers of Oakland, Call Me MISTER, and Latinos for Education are among the groups working hard to increase the diversity of teachers, especially by recruiting more male teachers of color.

Lack of Opportunities for All Students to Participate In and Learn from Extracurricular Activities

Learning doesn’t just take place in schools. Research shows that “participation in after-school programs, sports activities … contributes to academic performance, reduces high school dropout rates and discipline problems, and enhances interpersonal skills among students from different ethnic backgrounds.” Unfortunately, students living in poor communities lack access to vital out of school programming they need -- an issue that could be remedied with additional public and private investments. Compared to the national average (41%), demand for afterschool programs in communities of concentrated poverty is much higher (56%).