Prepared for what comes next

By the end of Middle School, RMS graduates enter high school prepared for rigorous coursework and equipped with the independence and responsibility that sustain long-term success. They understand themselves as learners and as members of a community.

Graduates consistently enroll in Honors and Advanced Placement courses in high school. Many enter two or three levels advanced in mathematics and frequently test for high school credit in Spanish. They are comfortable collaborating across ages, communicating with adults, and advocating for their own educational journey.

RMS partners with families and a public school counselor to support a thoughtful transition to high school. Students may also participate in Minnesota State High School League activities while remaining part of the RMS Middle School program, broadening both social connections and extracurricular opportunities within their communities.

RMS graduates move forward equipped with habits of inquiry, independence, and global awareness, ready to engage the next stage of their education with confidence and clarity.

Individualized learning

Clear expectations, actionable feedback, measurable growth

In Middle School, students understand what quality work looks like—and how to improve it. Assessment blends Montessori observation with IB criteria-based evaluation, using clearly defined learning criteria so expectations are transparent and feedback is specific and actionable. Ongoing feedback comes through rubrics, project assessments, nationally normed standardized assessments in math and language (administered twice yearly), and regular teacher conferences.

As an IB Middle Years Programme school, students engage in Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, and Design, alongside Spanish, physical education and health, visual arts, and music. These areas are intentionally connected through interdisciplinary units. Students explore how ideas intersect—emphasizing inquiry, synthesis, and real-world application.

When students are ready for greater challenge, coursework deepens accordingly. The goal is steady, measurable growth—intellectually rigorous, socially grounded, and personally meaningful.

Growing independence

Responsibility, moral reasoning, and academic resilience

Adolescence is marked by a search for identity, belonging, and purpose. At RMS, students are entrusted with meaningful responsibility—managing long-term projects, contributing to community decision-making, and engaging in service beyond campus. Independence now includes moral reasoning, principled action, and the confidence to express ideas thoughtfully in complex conversations.

Students learn to balance freedom with accountability. They navigate deadlines, collaborate across differences, and revise their work in response to feedback. Academic challenge is steady and intentional, pushing students to persist through difficulty, revise their thinking, and take responsibility for their learning—strengthening resilience and discernment along the way.

Middle school guides

Mentors who cultivate depth, dialogue, and disciplined thinking

MiddleSchool Guides are Montessori-trained educators and IB practitioners who serve as both subject experts and trusted mentors. In this small community, students are known well—academically and personally—and are challenged with complex material rooted in inquiry and real-world relevance.

Guides facilitate structured, evidence-based, and respectful dialogue. Students question assumptions, defend their thinking, and revise their work in response to detailed feedback. Through conferences, coaching, and student-led reflection, Guides help adolescents build organization, time management, collaboration skills, and ownership of their learning.

Families stay closely connected through conferences, trimester reports, and online classroom updates. This partnership ensures students are supported and stretched—developing the independence and academic habits required for success in rigorous high school environments.

Middle school environment

An expanded classroom rooted in place and purpose

The Middle School environment extends well beyond the classroom. On our 15-acre nature campus—with outdoor learning space just steps away—students learn in and from the land, tending beehives, practicing environmental stewardship, and applying scientific concepts through hands-on study.

A working kitchen further expands the classroom. Students cook as part of academic projects—exploring chemistry, cultural traditions, sustainability, and design—then share meals together, strengthening both practical skill and community.

Learning turns outward as students identify community needs, lead service projects, and reflect on their impact. Students also plan traditional Montessori “Going Outs”—purposeful small-group excursions tied directly to their studies. RMS’s nimble size makes these experiences—and regular class trips and community partnerships—possible.

Learning here is active, relational, and rooted in place. It is lived, not just studied.

Experience RMS Middle School