Middle School Experience (Grades 5-8)

A TIME TO BECOME.

The Middle School Experience is where our Marin Horizon journey culminates because belonging and confidence, built over years, become the courage to hold a position, question it, and grow from being wrong.

Students are now ready for abstract reasoning, nuanced debate, and the complexity that defines both scholarship and life. They ask questions that rarely have simple answers and learn to evaluate evidence, synthesize ideas, and defend their thinking with confidence. Our teachers love this age!

Our transdisciplinary approach reaches its fullest expression.

Students continue to develop deep disciplinary knowledge in mathematics, science, humanities, Spanish, the arts, and technology, while regularly connecting concepts across those disciplines through authentic investigations. Learning is not about completing assignments; it is about applying knowledge to understand and engage with an increasingly interconnected world.

Just as importantly, students deepen their understanding of themselves.

Outdoor Education, field studies, service learning, and travel move learning beyond the classroom and into places where growth cannot be scripted. A backcountry trail offers no immediate answers, a campsite requires shared responsibility, and unfamiliar communities ask students to adapt, persevere, and rely on one another. These experiences place young people’s challenges in perspective, helping them recognize both their own capabilities and their place within something larger than themselves. They return with greater resilience, discernment, empathy, confidence, and a stronger sense of purpose.

Ben Fussiner

ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL & Director OF Middle School

Ben joined Marin Horizon in 2021. Prior to his arrival, he served as Head of Middle School at Friends Seminary in New York, Assistant Head of School at Turning Point in Los Angeles, and as Assistant Director of Elementary School at Wildwood School in Los Angeles.

Ben earned a B.S. in Liberal Studies from Southern Connecticut State University, and an Ed.M. in Education from Harvard University.

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80% of Marin Horizon students are performing at or above grade level among independents schools.

95% of Marin Horizon graduates will enroll at their 1st or 2nd choice high school.

100% of our accelerated-track math students will enter high school on track to reach a Calculus AB class or higher. And non-accelerated track math students will cover two thirds of typical freshman year curriculum in 8th grade.

Marin Horizon graduates consistently place into second and third level Spanish classes their freshman year in high school.

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Curriculum At-A-Glance

Mathematics

Marin Horizon’s math curriculum provides students with an exceptionally strong mathematical foundation ranging from developing number fluency in the lower grades to solving complex equations in the upper grades.

Challenges are viewed as learning opportunities, and students are guided to develop a growth mindset, learning from mistakes and developing the perseverance to seek solutions. Students are encouraged to find the joy in solving for the unknown as well as to make connections between concepts and see their application in the world around them. Through differentiated experiences, collaborative projects, and inspiring explorations, students emerge confident and enthusiastic math learners.

Marin Horizon's Upper School math program offers an "accelerated" option designed for math enthusiasts, where qualified students progress at a faster pace. These 7th and 8th grade students cover additional concepts from high-school, and typically place well entering High School.

Sequenced Mathematics Trajectory

Social Studies

Designed for students to understand cultures and history and establish relevance to present times, the curriculum focuses on in-depth, project-based learning, framed around essential questions.

In the Middle School, the focus is on developing skills within the context of studying other cultures, ideas, and issues from the past. With an emphasis on close reading, research, primary documents and critical thinking, students ask thoughtful questions and examine various perspectives.

Social Studies classes are taught in mixed grade groupings, opening up opportunities for academic interactions with a larger number of students and providing deeper levels of collaborative learning experiences.

Sequenced Social Studies Trajectory

Language Arts

The literacy curriculum is designed to develop in students the foundation needed to become successful and independent readers and writers. Using evidence-based practices, teachers focus on cultivating the joy of reading and the art of expression.

In the Middle School, students concentrate on literary analysis, narrative, and creative writing, presentations, and debates, undertaking enriching projects that are integrated with science and social studies. These pursuits allow students to explore diverse and personally relevant topics, apply their linguistic knowledge, and enhance their global awareness and insights.

Sequenced Language Arts Trajectory

Science & Engineering

Marin Horizon’s science curriculum promotes scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills while engaging students with experiments, simulations, and real-world scenarios to make meaningful connections to the world around them.

In the Middle School, students focus on more complex concepts such as energy, forces, genetics, and evolution, taking on exciting projects such as Rube Goldberg machines and catapults that allow students to apply their scientific knowledge and engineering skills as well as showcase their creativity.

Science classes are taught in mixed grade groupings, opening up opportunities for academic interactions with a larger number of students and providing deeper levels of collaborative learning experiences.

Sequenced Science & Engineering Trajectory

Spanish

The Spanish Program is centered on fostering linguistic proficiency while also deepening students' cultural awareness and appreciation of Spanish culture. Carefully designed lessons focus on developing the four core language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking, through developmentally appropriate and engaging activities.

In the Middle School, the curriculum emphasizes meaningful connections to the Spanish language and culture. It seamlessly incorporates cultural contexts into language learning, fostering deeper personal connections for the students. This program aims to fully immerse students in the language, enriching their appreciation of its practical significance.

The innovative, story-based curriculum teaches grammar in context, downplays error correction, and prioritizes identifying language patterns to promote intuitive learning. Through this approach, students are encouraged to develop fluency by actively communicating in Spanish, rather than through mere analysis, thereby becoming competent and confident communicators.

Sequenced Spanish Trajectory

Arts

Marin Horizon’s Visual Arts, Music and Drama curriculum fosters creativity, self-expression, and collaboration. It immerses students in an array of artistic pursuits, including drawing, painting, music, and various theater genres.

Our Visual Arts program encompasses activities such as drawing, painting, clay, and fabric arts. It marries structured techniques with free expression and incorporates explorative field trips to exhibits that align with units of study.

In the Music Program, students are introduced to a wide variety of instruments, learn about rhythm, melody, and harmony, and are encouraged to participate in school ensembles.

The Drama Program emphasizes creative expression and self-confidence through classes in dance, acting, technical theater production, and musical theater. Students engage in our highly anticipated end-of-semester musicals and dramas from Sondheim to Shakespeare allowing them to showcase their diverse talents.

Physical Education

Our goal in Physical Education and Athletics is to continually provide challenging ways for our students to be leaders and strong team members, to help develop their sense of self, and to bolster their confidence.

During sports activities, outdoor education excursions, and problem solving exercises, students are encouraged to focus on health, fitness, and the joy of being physically active, as well as positive communication and supporting one another. We value our diverse student population, and we create classes that recognize the different levels of our students' social, emotional, and physical development.

Our program benefits from our amazing location at the foot of Mount Tamalpais, between the ocean and the Bay. We take advantage of our access to unique outdoor spaces by partnering with our school transportation department. This mobility allows our physical education classes to provide enriching, eye opening experiences to all of our students.

We strive to impart the skills that will help all Marin Horizon students safely explore the amazing places Marin County has to offer. Furthermore, we hope to ensure that our students become environmental stewards, with the leadership and confidence to help take care of these special areas, and enable them to show family and friends the amazing places they’ve explored during the school day. So, on any given day, our physical education class can take trips to places like, Muir Beach, Stolte Grove, Old Mill Park, the Dipsea Stairs, Tennessee Valley, the Golden Gate Bridge ,or a myriad of trails on Mount Tamalpais.

Watch our students in motion

Watch us build Rube Goldberg machines

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Join us for a hike!

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Parent Perspective

"As advocates for public education, we were hesitant to explore alternatives. But when our youngest child asked for a kinder, more academically-focused middle school, Marin Horizon exceeded our expectations. Having visited over 800 schools in my education policy career, I can confidently say Marin Horizon ranks at the top."

Ben Fussiner

ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL & Director OF Middle School​

Parent Perspective

Parent of recent graduate

ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL & Director OF Middle School