Northcoast Preparatory Academy Middle School provides students in grades 6-8 with a safe place to learn, make friends, and develop personal values.
NPA Middle School prepares students for successful academic, community-based, and personal futures. Our students are thinkers, with inquiry projects and place-based learning driving our student-centered curriculum, and our approach yields young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.
The middle school offers a supportive and challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world.
Academics:
Modeled after the International Baccalaureate curriculum, NPA Middle School encourages students to consider global perspectives and find personal connections to their studies.
At NPA Middle School, each student has a core teacher with whom they start and end the day. Core teachers also teach subjects such as English, Math, and History. Other subjects students will take throughout the week include Science, Languages, Drawing, Choir, Projects, and Physical Education.
Students’ daily schedule is a modified block schedule, with approximately four subjects taught per day. Homework includes meaningful project-based assignments that should take no more than one hour to complete in 6th grade – approximately 15 minutes of focused work for each of that day’s subjects is the norm. Teachers are always available to work with students and their families to find a homework routine that supports and challenges the individual student.
NPA Middle School Projects:
- Science Fair: optional for 6th, 7th, and 8th Years
- National History Day: all 7th years, optional for 8th Years
- Community Projects: all 8th Years
NPA Middle School prepares students for continuing their education at NPA’s International Baccalaureate High School (also in Arcata). With intentional, meaningful, and age-appropriate rigor, each middle school class is sequenced to support and challenge students while they make connections from the curriculum to their community, planet, and personal experiences.
- Cross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field, Tennis, Running Club
Every student is welcome to participate in NPA Athletics, regardless of prior experience. There are no “cuts” and our teams compete at high levels with other middle schools in the county. Students from NPA Middle School have gone on to win county and sectional titles with NPA High School athletics.
NPA Middle School Activities:
- Music Ensemble
- Tidepooling Club
- D&D Club
- MathCounts
- Math Honors
- After school care provided daily until 5:30 pm
Traditions:
- Family Welcome Potluck
- STEAM Week with NPA High School
- Opera Together with the San Francisco Opera Guild
- Halloween House
- All School Holiday Potluck
- Winter Celebration
- NPA High School Plays
- Middle School Plays
- 8th Grade Trip to San Francisco