Canopy
Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Grade — middle school as it should be: rigorous, close-knit, and ready to launch.
The middle school families wish they'd had.
Most middle schools are big, anonymous, and academically uneven. Cedarbrook's Canopy is the opposite. Around 60 students total across three grades. Eight subject-area teachers who know each student by name, history, and habit of mind. A curriculum that takes adolescents seriously.
Canopy students take a full middle-school course load: English, history, two pathways of math, lab science, world language, art, music, and physical education. The schedule looks like high school — bell-to-bell, separate classrooms, real homework. The relationships look like elementary school — small, warm, durable.
Middle school is when most kids start to disengage from school. At Cedarbrook, it's the opposite. Canopy students step up. They lead. They argue (constructively). They put on a play, build a robot, run the school newspaper, train a younger student for the spelling bee.
By 8th grade, Cedarbrook students leave with a capstone project, an advisor who knows them better than anyone, and a strong portfolio for high school admissions.
Three threads woven through middle school
Real Middle School, Differently Done
Departmental teachers, specialist instruction, and a full middle school course load — without the anonymity. Canopy students have the same teachers all three years.
Voice and Agency
Canopy students help shape the school. They serve on the head of school council, run the after-school program for younger kids, and lead all-school assemblies.
Ready for High School
By the end of 8th grade, Canopy students have done independent research, public speaking, advanced math, lab science, and a capstone project. High school admissions offices notice.
"We were nervous about middle school. We'd heard the horror stories. Cedarbrook 6–8 was a different planet — my daughter stayed engaged, stayed kind, and walked into 9th grade better prepared than most of her classmates."MAYA, PARENT OF AN 8TH GRADER
Cedarbrook grads hit the ground running
Our 8th graders leave ready for high schools of all kinds — public, magnet, and independent. They're known for being curious, creative, and kind. Hear from alumni and their families about what Cedarbrook prepared them for.
Read Alumni StoriesCedarbrook prepared me to walk into a room of strangers and feel okay. That sounds small. It's not.Ariana, Cedarbrook alum, class of '23
Explore all four pods
See where the Cedarbrook journey begins — and follow it through.