Academics

Middle School

Dare to be your best.

In BCD’s Middle School we believe….

List of 6 items.

  • Feeling Safe Empowers Learning

    Every school should be a safe place for students and teachers to thrive together, and we see safety as far more than just a secure campus. At BCD, students can feel safe to take risks and be themselves. With changing brains and bodies, middle school can be a challenging time in students’ lives, and our community of friends, teachers and parents are here to provide united support each and every day. We work to engage young minds and develop the skills of “failing forward” and learning from our mistakes.
  • Character Counts

    Respect yourself. Respect others. Take responsibility for your actions. That’s the BCD motto, and it holds special meaning to our students as they grow into young adults, good citizens and the best versions of themselves. As part of our character development curriculum, all middle school students are assigned an advisor with whom they meet with daily to learn how to navigate academic and social issues with confidence and kindness. Additionally, we follow the Developmental Designs for Middle School (DDMS) curriculum as a framework to effectively blend social and academic learning.
  • Our World Needs Global Minds

    All BCD middle school students participate in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), which centers around local and global awareness, challenging students to inquire into a wide range of exciting topics and draw links between the classroom and the outside world. Students build confidence in their skills by thinking critically and creatively to solve problems in new ways. The MYP also helps our Bulldogs build a strong sense of self and understand who they are so they can emerge as respectful, responsible members of their communities.
  • The Future Isn’t Far Away

    BCD middle school is founded on strong academic preparation balanced with life skills that will help our students excel in high school and beyond. Our well-rounded curriculum includes lessons in self-awareness and self-advocacy, as well as study skills in writing, research, organization, time management, and life skills needed for the transition to high school. Students also write a personal mission statement and focus on how to carry it forward with them regardless of the type of high school they attend.
  • School Is “Coloradical”

    BCD Bulldogs love school, and our teachers, faculty and staff are dedicated to making our campus a place that fosters fun and inquiry in equal measure. Our unique and beautiful Boulder location sets the stage for learning that reaches outside the classroom into nature and the world. BCD is where education is engaging, hearts and minds are open, and inspiration is all around us.
  • Middle School Students Should be Leaders

    At a time when they are typically feeling caught in the middle between childhood and high school, middle school students in a PS-8th environment serve as school leaders and role models for younger students. This dynamic provides students with responsibility, focus, and confidence during an otherwise complicated time in their lives. 

List of 1 items.

  • At BCD it’s OK to fail trying, but it’s not OK to not try.


    I AM A BULLDOG
    - BCD Middle School student
BCD’s Middle School offers an innovative and engaging curriculum that balances meaningful inquiry into core academic subjects with in-depth pursuit of students’ interests in the Arts, Physical and Health Education, and Design/Technology. The program presents students with age-appropriate challenge in a nurturing environment that cultivates independence of thought, habit, and mind.

BCD’s middle school program not only meets the diverse needs of our students during these critical middle years, but also provides excellent preparation for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate high school programs. Watched carefully and guided by skilled, experienced teachers, our graduates are well prepared for success in any quality high school.
 
Knowing that the world needs well rounded learners, the Middle School also invites students to explore competitive athletics, leadership opportunities such as student government, travel opportunities, and an expansive Exploratories curriculum featuring a wide array of electives to round out their development as citizens of our community and the world.
 
The Boulder Country Day Middle School is an authorized International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. The IB Middle Years Program (MYP) emphasizes intellectual challenge and encourages students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and to the real world. The IB program fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding, and global engagement, qualities that are essential for life in the 21st century.
 

IB Middle Years Program


The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

The Middle Years Program (MYP) is an internationally acclaimed educational program that aligns with BCD’s Mission and underscores our belief in engaging and meaningful academics. The MYP exhibits the characteristics of interdisciplinary teaching and learning, favors a focus on concepts rather than merely on content, and provides a rich, inquiry-based model of introducing and exploring concepts within and across the disciplines. The MYP’s focus extends beyond the notion of knowledge as an accumulation of content to include connectedness in learning and the big ideas that bind people and civilizations together. The learners that emerge from our program are well-prepared for today’s world, which is information-filled, fast-paced, and demanding of 21st century skill sets such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.


FAQ document for parents on the MYP from ibo.org.

The IB Program at BCD

BCD Writing Scores

Writing serves as the fuel that drives communication and more and more colleges and universities are reporting their incoming students lack the necessary writing skills needed to become successful communicators both during and after their college experiences. At BCD, we are actively combatting this trend. Our focus on planning, composition, and revision, the reflective process, and continual practice has proven that BCD students are more prepared than their peers when it comes to writing skills. We use the ERB Writing Assessment Program (WrAP) to benchmark our students against the most competitive independent and suburban public schools in the country and our scores speak for themselves.

Math in BCD's Middle School

The following graphics displays the two most typical math tracks BCD middle school students can follow. BCD can also respond to small group acceleration beyond these classes on a case-by-case basis.

Free checklist - Middle School Choice Checklist

10 Questions to Ask When Visiting a Middle School Checklist

Middle School can be a challenging time for adolescents. Choosing the right school for your student during those years can have a big impact on who they become. Need some help determining what is most important to you and your child? 

Benefits of a PS-8th environment

BCD is a Preschool - 8th school. Why is that important to middle schoolers?

At a time when they are typically feeling caught in the middle between childhood and high school, middle school students in a PS-8th environment serve as school leaders and role models for younger students. This dynamic provides students with responsibility, focus, and confidence during an otherwise complicated time in their lives. 

Learn more about the benefits of a PS-8 school.

Engaged and Empowered Learners

Boulder Country Day School    4820 Nautilus Court North • Boulder, Colorado 80301 • Phone - 303.527.4931 • info@bouldercountryday.org
Boulder Country Day School, where academic distinction meets education with character. BCD is a top rated, accredited private school in Boulder, Colorado where every child has the opportunity to discover their own unique excellence. Distinguished by small class sizes, outstanding faculty, engaging academics and a focus on community, our preschool, elementary and IB middle school teachers strive to create a well-rounded educational environment that balances traditional subjects with the arts, world languages, athletics and knowledge based units.

PIN US: