Part 2. The Intentionally Small School: Mixed Age Classes and Individualized Academics

The confidence that children gain from feeling safe and secure in a small school environment is something they will take with them as they venture out as high school students and beyond.

As an intentionally small school, we are able to look at each student as an individual and what they need to reach their highest potential.

A small school doesn’t allow the child to go unnoticed, even during those times when being anonymous feels easier than asking for help on a difficult assignment or practicing those social skills to make new friends. By keeping our school community small, we can focus on building confidence and growth across all areas, not just in the classroom.

Second graders enjoying their time at the Grey Fossil Site during one of our all school field trips.

We strive for all our students to be comfortable performing in a school-wide talent show and speaking up in classes or assemblies. We want our students to know that their voices matter, regardless of their age or gender. We want them to cheer on their middle school friends at flag football games and to confidently roam the playground during mixed-age recess.

Student in our youngest class is excited to show off the little friend he found.

Keeping our school small allows for academic success by individualizing the academic expectations of each student. We strive to make sure each student feels both success and failure in order to become a resilient student.

What does it mean to look at each student as an individual in the classroom?

Learning happens at different paces throughout the span of grammar and middle school, so we will meet your child where they are and push them to what their potential is.

While mastery of grade-level standards is expected, there is space for beyond-grade-level challenges. This frequently looks different between each student and each subject. One child may work quickly in math and move beyond grade level while at the same time they are right at grade level in reading and writing. That student is getting the attention they need in both subjects instead of being bored by what feels to them like a slow pace of math or lost by what feels like a quick pace of language arts. Another student may need more time and help to complete their math while having higher expectations of what they produce in their writing.

Why would a student need to feel failure?

Failure will eventually happen, and we want them to know what to do when it does. A student who has straight A’s with or without much work on their part will not know how to handle challenges or failures when they are faced with them whether that be in high school, college, or even their first job. By raising the expectations of a student who easily makes A’s, we are teaching that student what hard work looks like for them (even if it looks easier for their peers) and that when failure does eventually come, they will know how to get back up on their feet and keep moving forward.

What about the child who struggles with traditional learning? How do they feel success in a classroom?

The student who may have worked to the best of their ability but still came out with a C can and should still feel success. When their growth is recognized, the student will feel confident to keep pushing themselves to do better rather than quitting and saying, “What's the use? I will never understand this.” If they go through school feeling like even when they try their hardest it doesn't make a difference, they are likely to give up trying. By acknowledging their growth and success, we are teaching them what hard work looks like for them, that their dedication was worth the effort, and their success is not less in comparison to what their peers may be producing.

Middle school students ranging from 5th-8th grade, both boys and girls, play flag football in through the Hospitality League.

Why mixed classes and what does that mean?

We have 2 grades combined to make one classroom unit. The breakdown of K4-K, 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th and 7th-8th allows for each student to remain with the same teacher for two years. In that time together, the student/teacher relationship deepens and allows for a better understanding of one another's strengths, weaknesses, and what their full potential is. Better learning happens when teachers know what each student needs for success and when students understand what is expected of them from their teachers.

5th and 6th graders hangout before class begins.

Mixed classes allow for mixed aged learning. Students have the opportunity to learn from their peers and see them as role models, and then the next year they get to be the leaders and role models. It also sets the tone for the school’s culture of each child getting what they need to be successful. When two grades are accustomed to learning together in the same class with the same material but having different expectations, it becomes the norm that students in the same grade level also have different expectations. Students are then left feeling confident in their ability instead of being different or othered for being “too smart” or “ not smart enough.”

One last benefit to mixed-grade classrooms is that it creates a way to balance what can be seen as a disadvantage in a small school environment. Each year half of your class moves up and half of your class stays and is joined by a new group of students. This creates the opportunity for kids to learn how to make new friendships and navigate the challenges of new group dynamics every year while still maintaining friendships year after year.