As a top rated middle school in Boulder, Colorado, we are boldly fostering extraordinary futures. The middle school years are special years and our unique program meets students where they are and prepares them for what’s next.
We empower emerging minds through..
Teaching Future-Ready Skills
While the future is unknown, one thing is clear: the ability to think innovatively and reason logically will be more important than ever. Innovative thinking will spark new ideas and ways of being, while logical reasoning will be necessary to balance and apply these ideas in ethical ways. These skills will not only help students thrive but also enable them to become responsible global citizens.
A Global Perspective
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program emphasizes intellectual challenge and encourages students to make connections between their studies and real world situations. Students explore how the application of knowledge across disciplines can lead to better understanding and more comprehensive and inclusive solutions. Instruction in world languages (French or Spanish, and Latin) exposes students to different cultures, customs, and perspectives, fostering empathy and understanding.
Tapping Into More
All students receive instruction in the Arts, Physical and Health Education, Design, and World Languages, and have the choices in Athletics, Leadership, and Electives. BCD electives, also known as "exploratories", challenge students and create room for them to experiment and find new interests as they grow as students and as individuals. The combination of foundational academics with exploratories grows both intellect and self-confidence, which together lead to success in high school and beyond.
Creating a Safe Environment
Every school should be a safe place for students and teachers to thrive, and we see safety as far more than just a secure campus. Students should also feel safe taking risks and being themselves. Daily advisory meetings strengthen community and help students work through topics such as navigating academic and social issues with confidence and kindness. Students are encouraged to develop the skill of “failing forward” and learning from one’s mistakes. Our focus is on the character of our graduates as much as their qualifications.
Unlocking Leadership Potential
Middle school spans the critical years between childhood and high school which can often feel like a waiting game for students. But in a PS-8th school, middle school students take on leadership roles, which provides them with valuable opportunities to develop their confidence and skills. These leadership experiences—whether through mentoring younger students, leading projects, or organizing school events—help students learn the importance of responsibility, decision-making, and collaboration.
Recognizing the Future Isn't Far Away
A strong academic foundation, combined with essential life skills, ensures that our students excel in high school and beyond. Under the guidance of skilled and experienced teachers, our graduates are well-prepared for success in any quality high school. They develop self-awareness, self-advocacy, and key study skills such as writing, research, organization, time management, and more—skills that are crucial for the transition to high school. As a result, most BCD graduates thrive in Advanced Placement and IB classes throughout their high school years.
Being Part of Something Bigger
Students are encouraged to explore their areas of interest through group activities such as choir, band, and athletics. Engaging in these activities helps students discover their passions and talents while fostering a sense of belonging and teamwork. As students explore different interests, they are better able to understand their strengths and preferences, which is crucial in finding their place in the world.
More and more colleges, universities, and employers are reporting their incoming students lack the necessary writing skills. Our focus on planning, composition, and revision, the reflective process, and continual practice has shown to benchmark BCD students above their peers. The ERB Writing Assessment Program (WrAP) benchmarks our students against the most competitive independent and suburban public schools in the country and our scores speak for themselves.
BCD provides extensive math offerings
The following graphics displays the two most typical math tracks BCD offers. BCD is also able to offer small group acceleration beyond these tracks on a case-by-case basis.
How did BCD prepare you for high school?
Capstone
Small Class Size and Leadership
Academic Challenge
10 Questions to Ask When Visiting a Middle School Checklist
Middle School can be a challenging time for adolescents. Choosing the right school for your student during those years can have a big impact on who they become. Need some help determining what is most important to you and your child?
The Benefits of a PS-8th Environment
BCD is a Preschool - 8th school. Why is that important for middle schoolers?
At a time when they are typically feeling caught in the middle between childhood and high school, middle school students in a PS-8th environment serve as school leaders and role models for younger students. This dynamic provides students with responsibility, focus, and confidence during an otherwise complicated time in their lives.
BCD is proud to have sent THE MOST students to the recent Regional Science Fair. Below is our group of middle school participants. Several were named winners and two will proceed to the state competition.
3rd place - Biomedical Sciences category
2nd place - Behavior and Social Sciences category, advancing to state
BVSD Creativity and Innovation award
3rd place - Behavioral and Social Sciences
2nd place - Plant Sciences, advancing to state
BCD seeks to graduate adaptable, empathetic, and engaged global citizens who are inspired to use their knowledge for good and Science Fair is an amazing opportunity for students to practice doing just that. We are incredibly proud of this amazing cohort of scientists and their outlook for improving the world through science.
"I wanted to know what fruit waters can do to grow plants. Most farmers use pesticides because they give a faster, better product, but I am trying to find an alternative to pesticides so the world can have a healthy efficient product."
BCD middle school students are uniquely positioned as leaders in a PS-8th environment to grow from opportunities that students in a stand alone middle school don't have. For his 8th grade Capstone project, this student is teaching a chalk bird lesson to 2nd graders and will compile their pieces into an art mural. Look at the faces of the younger students being inspired by their older schoolmate as well! Win. Win.
On April 4, 2023, BCD will host the first Day of Affinity for BIPOC students. Fifth through 8th grade students from various Boulder-area and Denver-area independent schools will join together for a day designed to help BIPOC students to feel loved, empowered, and celebrated. We are grateful to our faculty and staff who serve on our DEI committee for their hard work on this project. Special thanks and congratulations to the 8th grade student pictured here who used his Capstone project to initiate and coordinate this event. He is holding the bottle he designed for students to take home. Well done!
Livi Gray's (Class of 2020) powerful Capstone project, Faces of America, was featured in the August issue of Boulder Lifestyle magazine. We are very proud of the work she did both in her artistry and in using her voice. Great job, Livi!
We are so proud of the 4 BCD alumni featured in this video project by the Wunder Collective (headed by BCD alumna Kristian Moley) about inspiring, young change makers. Sydney, Ruthie, Reese, and Elizabeth share their 8th grade Capstone projects and their passions. Well done, Bulldogs!
Good citizenship is the most important lesson Boulder Country Day teaches because good citizens become great leaders. This year, I had the chance to interview four graduating 8th Graders, all of whom will wow us one day. They will end their BCD careers this week presenting their capstone projects which focus on community service. In the midst of a pandemic, when self-management becomes mandatory and expectations become lax, these four students maintained their commitment. They have taken the opportunity to do good despite having several doors close in their face including the one that connects them with the world.
I hope you watch and consider their stories. I hope you’re inspired. I hope you know the future is bright. And I hope you make a choice to do more good, if for no other reason than because it is such an easy one to make.
Some fabulous work is being done in Ms. Fellows 7th grade science class. Student are working on a unit about human body systems and were assigned a lab specifically on the skeletal and muscular system. Students were learning about flexor and extensor muscles. They read an article about a robot called a human skeleton that is used in companies to help humans to prevent muscle fatigue. They had to design their own contraption to help the bicep muscle heal if it had a sports injury (hence artificial bicep).
We love this! In 8th grade health class student did something called The Compliment Project. Students take turns sitting with their backs to the whiteboard while their classmates write compliments about them. The students are studying social-emotional health and learning how we thrive when we feel a sense of love and belonging. This is the third year this activity has been done in this class and the kids LOVE it. They love to write as much as receive the compliments. They are often overwhelmed with emotions when they read what their classmates say.
When I was walking through the woods during our Outdoor Ed trip, I could hear the indistinct shouts that Middle Schoolers make when they are outside and allowed to use "outside voices". I was heading towards the climbing wall, a triangular pyramid 25 feet in the air. This climbing wall was one of the many activities available for our Middle School students at Outdoor Education at the foot of the Rocky Mountain National forest. Students also had the opportunity to do other activities, including archery, mountain formation, and team building activities.
Boulder Country Day has intentionally chosen to focus on preschool through eighth grade and we believe it is among our greatest assets. We firmly believe that a PS-8 school environment offers distinct advantages during the most critical years of a child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development.
Thanks to the generosity of Christy and Jay Orris and their commitment to faculty professional development, I recently had the opportunity to attend the Aspen Institute Executive Seminar in Aspen, CO.
Through an anonymous Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity grant by a BCD parent, Boulder Country Day School and I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County(IHAD) have partnered to form a combined First Lego League® (FLL) team. The grant funds transportation and course expenses for participating IHAD students and brings together students, technology, and BCD’s goal of inspiring students to reach their full potential.
Students from the middle school student council joined thousands of other student leaders at a Leadership Experience and Development (LEAD) Conference in Chicago, IL on February 10th – 12th.
If our Preschool and Elementary school divisions have been described by some as “magical”, then I can only imagine our middle school can be described as transformational.
As part of BCD’s Middle School curriculum, 8th grade students complete a Capstone Project. Capstone Projects are a yearlong experience that encourages students to dive deeply into a subject of personal passion. This experience develops in-depth learning in the presence of an experienced mentor. 8th grade Capstone projects are a culmination of students' BCD experience bringing together the key elements of passion, innovation, and service. It is always exciting to see the range of interests and directions the students take. Student projects this year range from building ovens in Nicaragua, to designing head bands for a cure, to piloting a plane, to stage fighting. On April 22nd, our 8th grade students finished the hard work they have put into their Capstone projects as they presented their work to their families and mentors. Well done, Bulldogs.
To see a complete list of this year's projects, click here.
In 7th grade we have introduced our novel study of The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Students are looking at narrative perspective as we read. By looking at point of view, students gain a greater understanding of plot details that are in (and out) of the story. By examining a certain scene from a different character’s perspective, students see characters in a new light, perhaps gaining empathy or a better understanding a character’s motives. Finally, by analyzing why the story is told from a dog’s point of view, students learn about the Klondike Gold Rush and human behavior from a unique perspective. How different the story would be if told from the perspective of one of the humans!
We are finalizing our unit on Biomedical Engineering with a review of why 3D printing is such an important development in the world of medicine. They are using recent events in medical technologies and our classroom experience with 3D printing to communicate where the impact of 3D printing on the accessibility of prosthetics, surgical operations, and other areas related to health. As they communicate the current state of medicine, they are also catching a glimpse of where medical technologies will be taking us in the future.
Thank you to Bob Radocy, owner of TRS Prosthetics, for coming and speaking to our students.
Middle School students participated today in the annual Model UN exercise. Having done their research and prepared resolutions they came ready to serve as delegates for their assigned countries. As emerging global citizens, students connect current events to the study of delicate international relations and how conflicts are addressed through the United Nations. Gaining an understanding of the domestic and international concerns of a nation, as well as its relationship to its allies and other nations, gives students a greater sense of the complexity of foreign relations and the challenges we all face in the 21st century.
Boulder Country Day School 4820 Nautilus Court North • Boulder, Colorado 80301 • Phone - 303.527.4931 • info@bouldercountryday.org
Boulder Country Day School is a leading private school serving students 2 ½ years old - 8th grade. In partnership with our outstanding faculty and committed families, we uphold the highest standard for our balanced educational experience. Through small class sizes and innovative engagement in a supportive environment, students at BCD learn to explore their strengths and apply them to the world. Guided by our values, we believe the empowered minds that graduate from BCD will be the ones to ignite global change.