If you’re looking for a middle school where your child will grow in a close-knit community, develop important life skills, and prepare for the rigors of high school, you’ve come to the right place. Denver Christian School believes middle school is much more than a transitional time to “get through” — it’s a season of growth wherein students strengthen their foundations for learning and life and THRIVE.
Our teachers and staff act as mentors to students, helping them navigate tough questions about the world and deepen their faith. While many parents and families have anxiety about these years, our middle schoolers enjoy a positive culture where they can feel safe, have fun daily and flourish.
Whole-Child Development
Six Spheres of Learning in Middle School
At Denver Christian, we nurture the whole child through six interconnected spheres of growth. Explore how each sphere is expressed at the middle school level.
Spiritual Growth
God Worshiper
Chapel meets every Thursday, gathering middle school students for worship, teaching, student testimonies, and community prayer. Students participate in regular service projects that put faith into action. The 7th grade retreat at Camp IdRaHaJe creates intentional space for spiritual reflection and community formation. The 8th grade Black Hills trip invites students to reflect on their faith journey before entering high school.
The Praise & Worship team gives students the opportunity to lead their peers in worship during weekly chapel. Faith Families — monthly cross-grade gatherings led by high school students — connect middle schoolers to a wider community of faith. Students take on leadership roles in chapel, service projects, and Faith Families, developing the posture of a servant leader. Connection to home churches is actively encouraged as an extension of the faith formed at DC.
Students develop a personal, owned faith — not just knowledge about God but a living relationship with Jesus that shapes how they think, relate, and act. They graduate 8th grade with a stronger spiritual identity, a vocabulary for talking about their faith, and the habits of worship and service that sustain them through high school and into adult life.
Cognitive Growth
Truth Discerner
Students engage in hands-on, cross-curricular learning experiences that connect academic content to the real world. 7th grade geography students use literature, GIS mapping, and a biblical framework to explore local and global neighbors. Speech and Debate gives students structured practice in public speaking and argumentation, with 8th graders competing through the National Junior Speech & Debate Association.
Elective courses meet twice a week each quarter and include offerings such as Creative Writing, STEM Challenges, Coding, Chess, Drama, Sculpture Art, and Digital Scrapbooking. Advanced math tracks and Speech & Debate provide additional academic depth. The rotating elective model gives students broad exposure across disciplines throughout the year.
Students graduate 8th grade with a strong academic foundation, the organizational skills to manage a demanding course load, and a growing capacity to analyze problems, synthesize information, and articulate reasoned conclusions. They are prepared for the rigor of high school with the independence and self-advocacy needed to thrive in advanced coursework.
Physical Growth
Wellness Steward
Students participate in team sports and grade-level outdoor trips that integrate physical challenge with community building — including hiking, swimming, and paddleboarding at Chatfield Reservoir. Interscholastic competition reinforces Christian values of cooperation, humility, and self-discipline in a competitive context.
DC’s middle school athletic program fields teams in soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, track, cross country, golf, tennis, cheer, and football (flag for 6th grade; tackle for 7th and 8th). The Strength and Performance elective provides structured fitness training. Grade-level travel experiences — Buena Vista, Silver Cliff Ranch (6th), Camp IdRaHaJe (7th), and the Black Hills (8th) — include sustained outdoor physical activity in meaningful community settings.
Students leave middle school with a growing understanding of their bodies as gifts to be stewarded well. They develop consistent habits around physical activity, build resilience through athletic competition, and internalize the connection between physical discipline and honoring God — habits and character that carry into high school and life.
Creative Growth
Beauty Creator
School performances, the annual Art Show, dramatic productions, and music concerts give students regular opportunities to present original work to a live audience. Community service projects allow students to channel creativity in service of others. The Praise & Worship team brings student-led creativity into weekly chapel. Electives like Drama, Sculpture Art, and Creative Writing extend artistic expression into new formats each quarter.
Drama and music auditions are open to all middle school students, with productions performed for the school community. The audio-visual and lighting team supports school events and performances. Elective classes rotate quarterly, offering fresh creative challenges throughout the year. Students in band or choir may participate in ensembles that perform at community events, bringing beauty to shared spaces beyond campus.
Students develop a creative identity rooted in faith — understanding their artistic gifts as God-given tools to serve and bless others. They gain confidence presenting original work publicly, practice iterative creative processes, and leave middle school prepared to take on more ambitious creative challenges in high school and beyond.
Personal Growth
Image Reflector
Grade-level trips create unique personal growth opportunities: 6th graders build new friendships and confidence at Buena Vista, Silver Cliff Ranch, 7th graders set personal and communal intentions at Camp IdRaHaJe, and 8th graders reflect on their growth and prepare for high school during the Black Hills trip. Leadership roles in chapel, clubs, and sports give students concrete experience living out their gifts in community.
The broad range of sports, electives, arts programs, and clubs at DC is intentionally designed to help students discover where they flourish. From Speech & Debate to Drama, band to baseball, Creative Writing to Forensic Science — students are encouraged to try new things and pursue what lights them up. These experiences, framed by a Christian understanding of calling and stewardship, help students build self-awareness and the confidence to own their identities.
Students leave 8th grade with a clearer sense of who they are, what they love, and how God might be calling them to serve. They bring increasing emotional maturity, self-awareness, and resilience into high school — and a deepening conviction that they are, as Ephesians 2:10 declares, God’s masterpiece, created for a purpose.
Social Growth
Shalom Restorer
Service projects, community events (Dodgeball and Pizza nights, Seasonal Tailgates, Ice Skating, Lake Days, and the 8th grade dance), and grade-level trips build deep relational bonds. The 7th grade retreat at Camp IdRaHaJe — whose name stands for “I’d Rather Have Jesus” — is designed around relationship-building and setting community intentions for the school year. Chapel, held every Thursday, creates a regular rhythm of shared worship and belonging.
Leadership opportunities in clubs, sports, the Praise & Worship team, and student-led chapel elements give students structured practice in social responsibility and servant leadership. Faith Families — monthly cross-grade gatherings led by high school students — connect middle schoolers to a wider community of faith. The school counselor provides individual and small-group support as needed.
Students develop emotional resilience, conflict resolution skills, and the social intelligence to navigate complex relational dynamics with humility and grace. They leave 8th grade equipped to contribute to high school’s social landscape as peacemakers and community builders — grounded in the conviction that God calls them to restore shalom.
I always emphasize the fun that we have here in middle school. Our teachers and curriculum are excellent. Students are challenged to keep track of their schedule, homework, and projects, and can layer on advanced levels of math, play in the band, and more. But middle school is such a hard, awkward, wonderful time in our lives so we also focus on giving our students the confidence to grow into themselves. And we do it with a lot of prayer, a lot of discussion about accepting each other for who we are,
and a lot of opportunities for fun!
Laying the Foundations for Academic Success in High School & Beyond
The middle school day begins at 8:20 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m. Students enjoy the increased independence and autonomy that comes with moving between classes on a seven-period bell schedule. Core subject areas include:
Mathematics: Multiple Math offerings are available in each grade level. Accelerated Math students may be eligible to take pre-algebra in sixth or seventh grade and Algebra in eighth grade.
Science: The middle school science program spans a wide range topics. The focus of 6th grade is earth science. 7th grade focuses on biology. 8th grade focuses on physical science.
English: Students focus on grammar, writing, reading, and public speaking.
Social Studies: In sixth grade, students focus on ancient countries and cultures. In seventh grade, they study geography, and eighth grade focuses on American history.
Bible: Middle school students attend Bible class throughout the week. We encourage our students to begin to make their faith their own, and to move beyond just knowing about God toward fully engaging in His kingdom and His story.
Developing Talents & Building Community Through Shared Interests
In addition to these core classes, students take a variety of enrichment and elective classes. All Middle School students enjoy our enrichment classes which include P.E., Art, Spanish and music (general music, band or choir). Our electives are classes that our students can choose. Elective classes offered each quarter are Digital Scrapbooking, Piano Lab, Forensic Science, Strength and Performance, Creative Writing, Teacher Assistant and more!
Clubs & Activities
Athletic Teams – Middle school teams include soccer, cheer, basketball, cross country, track, golf, flag football (6th grade offers flag football, 7th & 8th grade is tackle), baseball, volleyball, tennis.
Praise & Worship – A team of middle school students help with leading the praise music for our school’s weekly chapels.
Speech & Debate – Students strengthen the vital skill of public speaking, and eighth graders are invited to travel and compete in the National Junior Speech & Debate Association.
Drama & Music – Students interested in music and theatre can audition for a variety of dramatic performances throughout the year.
Service Projects – Middle school students serve the community and share their faith through regular service projects.
Community Events – Dodgeball and Pizza nights, Seasonal Tailgates, Ice Skating, Lake Days, and the eighth grade dance are much anticipated events.
Expanding Horizons Through Travel, Teambuilding, and Service
In middle school, so much education happens outside our four walls. Traveling not only provides opportunities for hands-on learning, it helps students make real-world connections, deepening their understanding across many subject areas. All trips are planned and guided by teachers, with parent chaperones invited and encouraged to attend.
A few favorites include:
Hands-On Learning at Estes Park – YMCA of the Rockies
Sixth grade students journey into the mountains with an outdoor education experience. The students spend their days hiking, swimming, doing crafts and enjoying all the camp has to offer while developing new friendships and strengthening old friendships. On the final day, students swim, paddle board and play at Chatfield Reservoir.
Retreat at IdRaHaJe
IdRaHaJe stands for “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” Located in Baily, CO, this is an exciting destination for our seventh grade students, who spend time at the beginning of the school year building relationships, setting intentions for the school year, and strengthening their faith. The bonds created during this week create a strong sense of community that lasts throughout the school year and beyond.
Trip to the Black Hills, SD
Eighth graders spend a week in the beautiful Black Hills, South Dakota. They spend their time site seeing, hiking, learning about different cultures, experiences and history. Students have an incredible opportunity to build community and bond as this class approaches the culmination of their middle school experience.
