Academy for life
A Columbus Academy education “sticks” with students for life. While our graduates find their way into many of the finest colleges and universities in the nation and the world, they invariably cite their Academy teachers as among their greatest inspirations and best mentors.
In our Middle School, the learning that begins in classrooms, labs, makerspaces and art studios serves as a catalyst for debate, discussion and action. Our young scholars often initiate team projects, form clubs and engage in contributive ways with the wider community of Central Ohio.
Inclusion is a fundamental part of the Academy experience. Find out how one Middle School student took to heart the lesson that every voice, every story and every experience counts — and created something new to honor that idea.
Expert teachers design robust curricula
Click here to view the Middle School Curriculum Guide
The core of the Academy experience is the relationship between teacher and student. Always honoring each student’s learning style, our dedicated educators are in constant dialogue with students about academics, extracurricular interests and life in general.
Our project-based curriculum takes a hands-on learning approach through which students gain operational mastery, strengthen problem-solving skills and mature the practice of analytical thinking. Each student must make choices while navigating classroom material, which in turn allows them to essentially “own” their education.
As our curriculum guide shows, students immerse themselves in STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math), unlock sophisticated communication skills in the study of world languages and cultures, and direct their innate creativity across a wide range of artistic endeavors.
Growing toward independence, being responsible for others
Students are constantly engaged in self-discovery — exploring who they are and imagining who they will become. Every student is asked to think critically, to investigate boundaries and to question convention, stimulating an appropriately balanced pursuit of adventure and independence.
As our middle school students come to know themselves in relation to others, they do so in a community with a culture of trust and respect at its heart. We are committed to equipping them with the intellectual capacity to process the world and take action in a future for which they are beginning to feel responsibility. Team projects in the classroom, preparing for annual overnight trips and participating in or supporting Academy athletics and the arts are all learning landscapes. Through this range of opportunities, young people are increasingly self-disciplined and become more socially responsible.
Sixth-grade language arts teacher Sonam Shahani explains how she helps students understand and practice empathy as well as the importance of doing so.
In service to community
An Academy education encourages middle school students to view themselves as being a vital part of a greater whole. Through academics, adviser relationships and service programs, they grow as citizens of the school and also of their local, national and global communities. We witness their development in the roles they choose in serving the wider world and the amount of care and gratitude they display to their peers, teachers and all those who make up the Columbus Academy extended family.
We invite you to tour our world! Click the button below to schedule your personal tour of campus.