Benefits of K-8

Why K-8 school?

There has been on-going research throughout the years on the advantages of a K-8 education – the most recent reported by NPR was on a landmark study – one of the largest of its kind that supports the K-8 education model. Please take a moment to review:

Sixth Grade is Tough; It Helps to Be “Top Dog”

Published in: American Educational Research Journal – Social and Institutional Analysis, September 15, 2016

This growing body of research identifies the benefits of K-8 schools for middle school students, including a comprehensive new study (see link above). When compared to the traditional middle school model of grades 6-8, research shows that adolescent students (ages 12-14) who attend K-8 schools perform at higher levels than their traditional middle school peers, with both the academic and social/emotional needs of students better met at K-8 schools. Research shows that students who attend K-8 schools:

• Experience higher levels of self esteem
• Feel safer, with less discipline and behavior problems threatening their education
• Have a positive attitude toward school
• Have higher levels of academic achievement
• Attend schools with more diverse student and teacher populations and smaller grade sizes
• Experience more core instructional time, allowing for greater exploration and integration, rather than a focus on strictly content, departmentalization, and adherence to a rigid schedule
• Have significantly higher scores in reading, language arts, and mathematics
• Do not experience loss of achievement because of disruptive transitions
• Experience better outcomes in 9^th grade