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Paradigm Schools Preparatory School

Preparatory School for 6th-8th Graders

Paradigm School was founded in 2006 by a group of homeschool families who wanted a better education for their children. However, it wasn’t until 2013 that we became Paradigm Schools after expanding to include our Preparatory School, serving grades 7-8. In 2026, we added 6th grade to our Preparatory School. In our Preparatory School, scholars can now gain a solid foundation in science, math, and the arts before heading to our high school.

NEW! 6th Grade Program Overview

Our 6th grade program is an introduction to a more robust liberal arts education, integrating elements of Socratic Discussion, classic works, and relevance-based learning in an age-appropriate way.

A Thoughtful Bridge from Elementary to Middle School

Paradigm’s 6th grade program is intentionally designed for families who feel their 11–12-year-old is ready for a more robust, classical liberal arts education—while still honoring the developmental needs of this important transitional year.

6th grade at Paradigm serves as a bridge between elementary and middle school. Scholars engage with an elementary-appropriate curriculum delivered through a middle school–style schedule, allowing them to gradually build independence, responsibility, and academic confidence in a supportive environment.

The purpose of our 6th grade program is to help prepare our scholars for Socratic Seminars, something that is a cornerstone of our middle school and high school program. Scholars will be introduced to Socratic discussions and they will be engaging with age appropriate classic works and original sources.

A Structured, Supportive Middle School Experience

6th graders follow a rotating A/B schedule similar to older students, helping them learn time management, organization, and accountability—skills essential for long-term success. At the same time, core academic classes remain 6th-grade only, ensuring instruction is developmentally appropriate and community-focused.

A dedicated mentored homeroom period (“Kedge”) provides daily structure, skill-building, mentoring, and connection, reinforcing habits such as goal-setting, reflection, and personal responsibility.

A Strong Liberal Arts Foundation

The academic program emphasizes the classical liberal arts, in correlation with our Know/Do/Be school philosophy:

Math 6 – Building strong numerical reasoning and problem-solving skills
Language Arts 6 – Reading, writing, grammar, and discussion that cultivate thoughtful communication
World History 6 – A global and chronological introduction to history that sparks curiosity and big-picture thinking
Science 6 – Inquiry-based exploration grounded in observation, reasoning, and discovery

Instruction encourages scholars to ask questions, engage in discussion, and learn how to think—not just what to think.

Exploration Without Pressure

6th grade is also a year of discovery. Scholars participate in World Language Exploration, rotating through multiple languages, including Spanish, French, Latin and Chinese, over the course of the year, and Fine Arts Exploration, where they experience a variety of fine arts options—band, orchestra, choir, dance, theater and visual arts—throughout the school year.

Rather than asking scholars to choose a single path too early, Fine Arts Exploration is designed to provide broad exposure, helping students discover interests, talents, and confidence in new areas before making more focused choices in later grades.

Scholars will also take one semester of PE with 6th graders only and one semester of an elective, shared with 7th and 8th graders, offering a gentle introduction to the broader middle school community.

Designed for the Ready Scholar

Paradigm’s 6th grade is ideal for students who are:

Academically curious and ready for increased challenge
Growing in independence but still benefit from structure and mentorship
Interested in a classical, discussion-based approach to learning
Ready to transition toward middle school at a thoughtful, supported pace

Our goal is for scholars to leave 6th grade confident, capable, and excited—fully prepared to step into Paradigm’s middle and high school experience with strong habits, a love of learning, and a solid liberal arts foundation.

About Our Preparatory School

Part of what makes Paradigm Schools unique is that our goal is to teach scholars how to think, not what to think. Our preparatory school is meant to give our scholars a solid liberal arts foundation before entering our more challenging high school program.

Scholars will learn the core subjects through the liberal arts learning method, which includes the Socratic discussion method and developing critical thinking. Our scholars learn how to develop the skills necessary to become well-rounded citizens who can take part in the great conversation of ideas.

Ready to Enroll? Contact Us

What Makes Paradigm Education Unique?

Smaller Class Sizes

We like to keep our class sizes of around 20 scholars. This allows for a more personalized learning experience with mentors and helps us ensure that none of our scholars are falling behind. With smaller class sizes, mentors can help all scholars engage in discussions, hands-on applications, and more.

We Only Use Original Works

At Paradigm Schools, we teach our scholars how to think, not what to think. Because of this, we don’t utilize textbooks. Textbooks are interpretations of original works and often tell students how to interpret original works. We want our scholars to interpret those original works on their own. We have created a strong curriculum of original works, primary source documents, and classic books.

Easy Transitions From Homeschool

If you’re looking to make the transition from home school to charter school, then our Prep Academy courses can help. As part of Prep Academy, 7th and 8th-grade scholars can choose to come to school for as much or as little of the day as they’d like. We created this option for parents who want to transition their home-schooled students into a public school setting.

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Preparatory School FAQs

Do you offer shadowing opportunities?

Yes! We can give your child a chance to shadow one of our other scholars who participate in the Prep Academy, so they can discover what the school year would be like for them!

What are mentors and scholars?

At Paradigm Schools, students are referred to as scholars, and teachers are known as mentors. Scholars “own” their education while being supported every step of the way by thoughtful mentors.

How involved will I be in my student's education?

We see ourselves as resources to parents. One of our foundational principles as a school is that parents are the primary educators for their children and that schools are to serve as a resource to families.

testimonials

I love Paradigm. My children have never been happier, and have found a love of learning that was missing in their previous education!
Julia H.

I went to Paradigm all through high school. Best experience ever. Not only did it help me focus on my strengths, but it also prepared me for college with its challenging curriculum that makes you think outside the box. The mentors there care about each of their students individually, and want nothing more than the students’ success.
Jennifer L.