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Middle School

Students in USJ’s Middle School are directed through a challenging, yet nurturing program to meet their distinct needs as they progress from the Lower School’s developmental approach to learning to the content-based curriculum of the Upper School.

Students rotate through classes and teachers who teach a core curriculum of mathematics, history, language arts, and science. Seventh and Eighth grade students choose between a full year of French or Spanish. Additional learning opportunities include art, music, choir or band, STEM, physical education, and strength and conditioning classes. Field trips such as a sixth grade trip to Huntsville, a seventh grade trip to St. Louis, and an eighth grade trip to New York and Washington, D.C., allow students to experience a global view of education.

Students develop the knowledge, skills, and habits necessary for academic success in the Upper School. All eighth graders, for example, take physical science so they are prepared for biology as freshmen. Honors classes in math (sixth), language arts (seventh) and world language (eighth) are gradually added in the Middle School. Students also work to develop character and healthy habits through an advisory curriculum.

At USJ, we know the Middle School years are a time of tremendous academic, emotional, and physical growth. We love, engage, and challenge every student to embrace our mission as they grow and prepare for the challenges of the Upper School and beyond.

Course Descriptions

Middle School News

Digital Responsibility: Partnering to Keep Students Safe Online
Digital Responsibility: Partnering to Keep Students Safe Online

At University School of Jackson, we believe in preparing students not only for academic success but also for the responsibilities of living in a rapidly evolving world. As technology continues to advance, so does the need to help students understand how to use it safely, ethically, and respectfully. A new federal law called the Take It Down Act is an important step in protecting minors from the harmful effects of non-consensual intimate image sharing, including the misuse of AI-generated content.

The Take It Down Act requires online platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes, within 48 hours of a verified request. It also makes it a federal crime to knowingly share or threaten to share these types of images without a person’s permission. While the law is primarily aimed at holding platforms and perpetrators accountable, it also impacts schools by emphasizing the importance of digital literacy, ethical decision-making, and student safety.

In response to this legislation, USJ has updated our handbooks to include a clear policy around non-consensual intimate images, deepfakes, and AI-generated media. Creating, sharing, or threatening to share content that depicts a student, teacher, or staff member in a misleading, harmful, or explicit way is prohibited. This includes altered images or videos that imply violence, false emergencies, or inappropriate behavior.

Our goal, however, is not simply to enforce rules, but to educate and support. This year, we will be integrating age-appropriate lessons and conversations around digital ethics and AI literacy into advisory, assembly, and other learning opportunities with a focus on character. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the media they consume and create, and to reflect on how their digital choices can impact others. We are reminding students, “If it’s not kind, true, or necessary, don’t post it.” We also want to empower students to speak up when they see something wrong and to know where to turn if they feel targeted or unsafe.

We know that raising digitally responsible students is a partnership. We invite parents to continue these conversations at home and to reach out if you ever have concerns or questions. By working together, we can ensure our students are not only protected by the law, but also guided by responsibility, respect, and integrity in all they do, online and off.

 

  • Middle School
  • artifical intelligence
  • handbook
  • technology
Shifting Roles and Shared Goals: Learning Through Middle School Challenges
Shifting Roles and Shared Goals: Learning Through Middle School Challenges

 

 We are grateful to have started another year at USJ Middle School.  Each August, educators are reminded why we do what we do: we love students and are thrilled to have the opportunity to guide them through formative years of their lives.  We do not take lightly the trust you’ve placed in us. 

Middle School is a time of incredible growth and yes, also sometimes some incredible growing pains.  If you attended our parent meeting at orientation, you may remember some of the detailed shifts that we see in Middle School, specifically from parent-led support to student-centered responsibilities.  At USJ, we don’t believe in throwing students into the deep end unprepared; instead, we work diligently throughout Middle School to step back littlae by little to set students up for long term success.  While this sometimes looks different from student to student, we know that the role of the adults in adolescents' lives now shifts. 

In Middle School, students need the opportunity to build confidence by overcoming challenges.  In her book The Upside of Stress, Kelly McGonigal argues that the right kind of stress can increase resilience, health, confidence, and even overall happiness.  When a student overcomes a challenging social conflict, studies hard but still earns his or her first B in English class, or remembers (finally-yay!) to bring everything for practice on their own, the moments of small wins equate to significant growth.  This only works, however, when the student is the one doing the work, both academically and socially/behaviorally.  It is our responsibility as parents and educators to provide safe opportunities for students to flounder and overcome.  You’ll see this as students in our Middle School are challenged beyond what they have encountered before, encouraged to study and take ownership of learning, and their own personal behaviors, and accept the consequences of their decisions and actions.  

This doesn’t mean that we leave kids high and dry, and it doesn’t mean that parents and teachers step away entirely. In fact, the role of the parent shifts to more of a guide and coach, as responsibilities are slowly transferred to the student.  Parents model respectful communication, help teach and establish routines, and reiterate the importance of attendance and engagement.  It means that parents step in after the child has taken the first step. It means that parents accept that actions have consequences- good and bad- and kids need to learn that as well. It means working with children to ensure that chronic misbehaviors, both academic and behavioral, are addressed and corrected. It means checking in, checking devices, asking good questions, and guiding your child to make decisions for him or herself.  

We know it’s hard not to swoop in and rescue- Most of us are parents, too!  Letting your child stumble now, in ways that are safe and structured, and offering help and guidance when it’s needed, can help teach your child how to handle the challenges that life might throw at them.  When something seems off, abnormal, or truly needs special attention? We’re here, and you’re here too.  

Let’s work together to help our students learn how to navigate not only Middle School, but also life.

  • Middle School
Excellence Ed Podcast: Middle School 101
Excellence Ed Podcast: Middle School 101 (opens in new window/tab)

🎉 Welcome to the very first episode of ExcellenceEd: The Podcast!

We’re kicking things off with Margaret Livingston, Head of Middle School at USJ, as she shares what makes the middle school experience unique and how students can thrive during this exciting transition.

In this episode, Mrs. Livingston walks us through the shift from Lower to Middle School—what’s different, what to expect, and how orientation week sets the tone for a successful year. From locker setups and class changes to forming new routines and friendships, it’s everything you need to know about starting strong in Middle School.

Whether you're a student, parent, or educator, this episode is packed with insight, encouragement, and practical tips to start the year with confidence.

  • Middle School

USJ Middle School students are offered a variety of challenging academic courses designed to prepare them for High School and beyond. Each student is enrolled in a rigorous academic schedule that includes English, Math, History, Science, and a World Language.   

This booklet is designed to be a resource for you to better understand life in the Middle School.

Middle School Information Packet

Excellence Ed Podcast: Middle School 101
Excellence Ed Podcast: Middle School Matters