Academics

Middle School

Welcome to Middle School

The middle school years are some of the most developmentally impactful years of human development. Between the ages of 10 and 14, identity formation accelerates, critical thinking takes hold, social connections are examined, and the habits around learning, emotional regulation, and executive functioning are established. The teachers at Spartanburg Day understand this, and they are experts in leading students through this period of adolescence with knowledge, empathy, and humor.

The Middle School is built around relationships and opportunities. Students are known and cared for by their advisors, teachers, and coaches. Small class sizes and intentional programming create a setting where students learn, gain confidence, feel safe, and discover who they are. Because we are fully aware of the changes and challenges of this time, we base our methods around connection, support, accountability, and joy, and students have unlimited opportunities to get involved in athletics, the arts, leadership, and learning outside the classroom.

The program prepares our students for success in the Upper School and beyond, establishing a foundation of hard work, curiosity, and empathy. This is a time of incredible growth, reflection, and relationship building, the time when students learn how to learn. I encourage you to come to our campus and see for yourself the joy and community that defines the Middle School at Spartanburg Day.

Warmly,
Lincoln Gray
Head of Middle School

    • Lincoln Gray

      Head of Middle School

Small class sizes and intentional programming create a setting where students learn, gain confidence, feel safe, and discover who they are.

LEARNING LIVED • MIDDLE SCHOOL

Where curiosity meets ownership

Immersive, active learning — only at SDS.

Our Learning Lived program stretches across every division. In the Middle School, it shows up in grade-level trips that anchor each year's curriculum, in interdisciplinary projects that connect what students read to what they build, and in the gradual handing-over of intellectual agency from teacher to student.

Faculty design assignments that ask middle schoolers: to research, to make, to defend an argument, to perform, to lead a discussion, to revise. Each grade level travels, Western North Carolina and Charlotte in fifth grade, the Blue Ridge Mountains in sixth, Washington, DC in seventh, and Nashville in eighth. These trips become the centerpiece of the year's reading, writing, art, and science work.

When students live out their learning, they develop the perseverance, the critical thinking, and the cross-disciplinary instincts that prepare them for the Upper School, and for everything after.

A challenging, developmentally honest curriculum.

Where rigor meets the rhythms of early adolescence.

Through engaging assignments, projects, and class activities, our faculty cultivate a love of learning and an empathy for others, all while nurturing each student's individual mix of strengths, interests, and life experiences.

Academically, the Middle School provides a challenging and developmentally appropriate curriculum. Faculty emphasize the importance of perseverance and encourage students to think critically, make connections across disciplines, and thoughtfully consider new ideas.

List of 3 items.

  • 4

    Grades: 5, 6, 7, 8

  • 9

    Middle School Athletic Teams

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    Languages: Latin, Spanish, French & German

Explore Middle School at SDS

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Arts, athletics, character, and community.

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  • The Arts

    Visual arts builds confident decision-making, responsibility, and exposure to global art traditions. Our music and band programs carry students from reading notation through full concert band, jazz band, and small ensembles — preparing them to join the Upper School band by eighth grade. Theater develops critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and the ability to work generously in a group.

  • Athletics

    Sixteen Middle School teams across the year — football, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, swimming, baseball, cross country, tennis, basketball, track, cheer, and golf. Students learn the fundamentals of competition while practicing respect, cooperation, and sportsmanship.

  • FLEX

    A daily block of time students use to ask questions, collaborate with peers, and get extra help on assignments. FLEX is a chance to practice time management and take care of business — especially since our students are so heavily involved in athletics and the arts after school.

  • Character Education

    An intentional, division-wide program woven into advisory and the daily life of the Middle School — developing empathy, integrity, and the social-emotional skills that early adolescence demands.

  • World Peace Game

    Sixth graders take part in the World Peace Game, an immersive week-long simulation that challenges them to solve complex global issues through collaboration, negotiation, and critical thinking. Taking on leadership roles, students navigate real-world economic, political, and environmental challenges while learning the value of communication, empathy, and responsible decision-making.

  • Special Studies Week

    Each year, seventh and eighth grade students explore new interests through unique, teacher-designed mini-courses — from rocket building, yoga, and line dancing to statistics through sports, baking, orienteering, and roller-coaster design — developing creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving.

  • Clubs & Activities

    Student-driven clubs span service, the arts, academic competition, and student government. Our advisory program gives every student a consistent, supportive adult mentor and a structured time to build the academic, social, and emotional skills needed for success.

  • Technology

    Fifth and sixth graders use school-assigned laptops on campus; seventh and eighth graders are also issued laptops and may take them home. Digital literacy, communication etiquette, and responsible use are taught alongside the tools.

Grade-Level Trips

Four years, four destinations — each one a centerpiece of the curriculum.

  • Fifth Grade - Western North Carolina & Charlotte
  • Sixth Grade - The North Carolina Mountains
  • Seventh Grade - Washington, DC
  • Eighth Grade - Nashville, Tennessee

Five values that shape every day.

  • Excellence

    Spartanburg Day School challenges every student to achieve his or her finest level of both academic and personal success — equipping intellectual thinkers with a profound depth of knowledge that empowers them in life.

  • Individuality

    Students are uniquely known and celebrated for their distinct voice. Meaningful relationships are at the core of a community that promotes trust, personal accountability, and independence of thought.

  • Leadership

    Students are confident, take risks, and hold themselves to the highest standards — collaborating with others and exemplifying responsibility, compassion, and service in their daily lives.

  • Curiosity

    We cultivate a true desire to learn through thoughtful discovery —  nurturing inquisitive minds in an environment where it is safe both to fail and to succeed.

  • Passion

    Students stretch their minds and find joy in educational exploration — surrounded by like-minded peers and an impassioned faculty who embody an enthusiasm for learning.
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Visit Us

Come see Middle School in motion.

We invite families to walk the halls, sit in on a class, meet our coaches and advisors, and see for yourselves how middle schoolers find their footing here.
Established in 1957, Spartanburg Day School is a nationally accredited independent school for students from 2K to 12th grade.