Pathways Middle School is a public middle school for students who would like a smaller environment in which to learn.  The program, created by West Ada, is for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.  Our school is looking for students who feel lost in the crowd or like traditional schools are not the right fit. These students may find it difficult to stay organized, stay caught up, or simply feel that traditional middle schools are too big for them to get connected.

 Pathways Middle School offers:

• Smaller class sizes with more one-on-one attention.

• A smaller school community comprised of a maximum of 150 total students.

• A block schedule with only 4 periods per day so students can complete their work in class with fewer transitions.

• No daily assigned homework for their 6th or 7th grade year – students are encouraged to take incomplete work home for additional time.

• The addition of homework in 8th grade to prepare students for high school and college.

• Specific instruction in organizational strategies, academic strategies, and Leader in Me curriculum through Academic Support classes each year.

• Targeted intervention and support through required academic lab classes in English and math.

• The same core curriculum as the larger schools and electives including Filmmaking, Maker Lab, Art, Theatre, and Guitar.

• Student-created clubs based on current interests. Some of this year’s clubs include comic, guitar, Pokémon, art, volleyball, chess, basketball, football, Oregon Trail, Dungeons and Dragons, and Tick card playing game.

• All sports/after school activities are still available for our students at their home middle school.

• A supportive and nurturing environment focused on student growth and learning.

If you feel Pathways could be a good option for your student, talk to your student’s current school counselor and fill out an application.  

Greetings Parents,

 When asked what we are at Pathways, I find it best to use an analogy to explain who we are and what we do:

Imagine a huge race track two miles long. Up pulls a brand-new Ferrari (or some other favorite sports car). The crowd gets ready, the green light flashes, the Ferrari takes off and goes 0-40 miles per hour in a second, then keeps going 40 miles per hour. It is going around the track, but everyone knows it can and should go faster (it's a Ferrari, after all).  

What we do is pull the Ferrari aside and work it over. We have the best mechanics around! With this pit crew, we have made major successes with hundreds of cars. But the other key is teaching the cars (students) how to work with a mechanic. Imagine if the car pulls up to the pit stop but keeps its hood closed, saying, “There's nothing wrong here. I'm fine. Work on somebody else." This greatly limits what the mechanic can do. Sure, we could give it a new paint job and change the tires, but that's not getting to the real issue. 

Imagine if a car pulls up, pops open its own hood, and as the mechanic begins to work, the car says, “No, not there, here." or, "I'm having problems back there." Once you get the car and the mechanic working together, the results are dramatic. The change, we've found, is when the students take responsibility for their education and start learning for themselves, not because their parents and teachers want them to do well, but because they want to do their best. 

We are a school for cars that are going but not going as well as they should.  Our school is for students whose current grades do not match their intelligence, especially those who lack the study skills/organization skills to be successful. These skills are the number one reason students apply and a major focus of our program. We also have no assigned homework in sixth or seventh grade to remove that pressure and teach students how to use their time well in class. Then in eighth grade, we slowly introduce homework again after the first quarter and continue to increase the amount until they're doing a full load by the end of their eighth-grade year.

This teaching model with small class sizes and more one-on-one attention would be ideal for any student, but we cannot accept all applicants. Our school follows an inclusion model, and each student's discipline record is reviewed as part of the application process. Our student body reflects any school in that we have gifted and below-grade level students, star athletes and students who hated PE, social butterflies, and those who like small groups. Simply put, we are a school for students who would like a smaller environment to learn and who need the skills to succeed in high school. Our job is to help get them ready and get these race cars back on track, ready to hit the road to high school and beyond.

If the traditional middle school environment doesn't seem to meet your student’s needs, call us and see if Pathways may be a better option for your student.

Thank you,

Dr. Eric Eschen

Click here to complete an application!