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Middle School Program

Middle School Overview

Our middle school program at ASA starts in 5th grade, and goes through 8th grade. Along with the grammar school, we use a 4-year cycle for our history, literature, faith, and science content. For the 2023-2024 school year, we are covering ancient civilizations and literature, Scripture, and astronomy and earth systems. For more information on each class, see the descriptions below. In the 2024-2025 school year, our history and literature content will focus on medieval civilizations and literature, faith will focus on the Incarnation, including the great Ecumenical Councils, and science will focus on biology. In subjects like math, writing, or Latin which follow a progression rather than a content cycle, our small class sizes allow us to work with students at a variety of levels to meet the particular needs of each student.

Part-time Homeschool Options

Our middle school operates on a block schedule, which offers homeschoolers the unique opportunity to sign up for individual classes or combinations of classes. If (for example) you start to get uncomfortable with middle school math, or would love for your student to learn Latin but don't know where to start, we can handle it! Or, you might think your student would benefit from small group discussion of literature, but don't have the small group--we do! Finding a faith class taught from an Orthodox Christian perspective would be a real challenge, except we have one. There are many reasons you might be looking for local, in-person, homeschool friendly class options, and we'd love to hear from you if you're interested in partnering with us for your child's education. Our current course descriptions and schedule for the 2023–2024 school year are below; please contact us for more information about the 2024–2025 school year.

Course Descriptions

  • Art

    Th 2:00pm to 2:45pm ◆ $112.50 per quarter

  • Composition

    This course trains students in composition and rhetoric using the tried and true method of the progymnasmata. The progymnasmata are a series of exercises that were developed in ancient Greece and have trained great writers and orators for centuries. Students are trained in progressive steps to imitate masterful writers, and apply the skills they learn to all forms of writing and speaking. Alongside composition, English grammar and syntax will be taught and practiced. 


    M/W/F 10:15am to 11:30am ◆ $562.50 per quarter

  • Faith and Literature

    Stories are the way humans experience and understand the world. This discussion-based course will delve into the experience of ancient people through their stories. Myths and tales from ancient and classical cultures will be a major focus, alongside enduring ancient staples of the great literary canon, and some more recent works that are thematically related to the ancient and classical world. Concurrently, Biblical stories and passages will be read and discussed from an Orthodox Christian perspective, ensuring that students are grounded in the ultimate story of God’s love and redemption of His people and His Creation. (This course stands on its own, but pairs exceptionally well with History.)  


    Required reading will include (subject to change):

    -The Orthodox Study Bible

    -Myths and tales from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Africa, China, India, Mesoamerica, Greece, and Rome*

    -Gilgamesh*

    -Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid*

    -C.S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Magician’s Nephew

    -Shakespeare: Julius Caesar

    -Plato: Euthyphro, Apology



    * These works will be read in a version adapted to middle school readers.


    MWF 8:30am to 9:45am ◆ $562.50 per quarter 

  • Greek

    Th/F 9:45am to 10:15am ◆ $150 per quarter

  • History & Geography

    History is the grand story of humanity, containing multitudes of smaller stories of joy, triumph, beauty, tragedy, and loss. These stories shape our understanding of the world and ourselves, and broaden our perspective beyond the limitations of our own time and place. This course will approach history chronologically, starting from the beginning, and proceeding up to Christ and His Apostles, to provide students with an outline of that grand story. Along the way, we will spend time with Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, and others. This course also includes world geography. (This course stands on its own, but pairs exceptionally well with Literature.) 


    M/W/F 12:30pm to 2pm ◆ $675 per quarter

  • Latin

    One of the great languages of culture and learning in the Western world for centuries, Latin is also one of the major languages of the early Church. This course will be an introduction to the language, combining a focus on grammar with authentic reading and conversation.


    T/Th 9:00am to 9:45am ◆ $225 per quarter

  • Logic

    Logic is the art of thinking well and arguing clearly in pursuit of truth. This course is a gentle introduction to logic through an investigation of common fallacies. Don’t be surprised if your student is able to catch you using one after a few lessons!


    T/Th 8:30am to 9am ◆ $150 per quarter

  • Mathematics

    Math is a window on the beauty and order inherent in the Cosmos. This course will open that window through differentiated, small group instruction that allows students to learn according to their own ability and pace. Students working on arithmetic operations through prealgebra are welcome.


    T/Th 12:30pm to 2pm ◆ $450 per quarter

  • Music

    M/T/W 2:15pm to 2:45pm ◆ $225 per quarter

  • Physical Education (PE)

    M/T/W 9:45am to 10:15am ◆ $225 per quarter

  • Science

    This course will focus on “the heavens and the earth”: the stars, planets, and other celestial objects, and the major systems of our planet. Science is concerned with the material, but it doesn’t have to be reductive–the material part of the Cosmos, which science takes as its object, is full of wonder and beauty. This course will investigate scientific phenomena through wonder, with supplemental consideration of the development, philosophy, and practice of science in ancient cultures and today.


    T/Th 10:15am to 11:30am ◆ $375 per quarter

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