GRADES 6 – 8 • Swannanoa, NC
Middle School at TLC
Sixth through eighth grade isn’t a smaller version of high school, and it isn’t an extension of elementary. It’s built for exactly this age.
WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE TLC
Building for who they are becoming
By sixth grade, students are ready for new challenges, more independence, and a bigger role in school life. At TLC Middle, they lead projects, mentor younger students, and take on responsibilities around the school. In the classroom, we meet students where they are and give them room to move ahead when they’re ready. What makes us unique →
6–8
GRADES SERVED
100%
SMARTPHONE FREE
6
MATH GROUPS
8–10
HOURS OUTSIDE EACH WEEK
Four Pillars
What middle school here actually rests on
Academics that Flex
Writing taught as a process with revision and placement that follows readiness rather than age — a fifth grader ready for seventh grade math takes seventh grade math.
ACADEMICS
Outdoor Learning
Forty acres used as the daily classroom, and a set of things students can actually do — anchored by a fall bonding trip and a spring backcountry trip.
OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Independence & Leadership
Goal-setting students drive themselves, a conflict-resolution model they actually use, and the roles only the oldest students in a K–8 can hold.
STUDENT LIFE
Essentials & Extras
Class trips, caving, the musical, three seasons of sport with no cuts, and after-school clubs from skateboarding to chess.
WHAT A YEAR HOLDS
signature experiencesLeveled, multi-grade academics
Middle school here is departmentalized and taught by subject-focused faculty, not generalist classroom teachers. Math offers many options, including regular sixth grade math; pre-algebra; two levels of Algebra I; and a Geometry/Alg II combo. Students are placed by readiness and skills, and the groups stay between three and thirteen students.
• Lab-based science building toward school, regional, and state science fairs
• Increased writing rigor, research skills, and discussion-based humanities
• Continued Spanish progression
A smartphone-free middle school
TLC middle schoolers do not carry phones during the school day. Lunch, recess, and the walk give them time to talk, play, and be with their friends.
• Part of the school’s Wait Until 8th commitment
• Clubs, games, and unstructured outdoor time
Five times in front of a real audience
Public exhibition is not an elective here. Every middle schooler presents their own work, to people who are not their teacher, five separate times before they leave — and nobody opts out of any of it.
• Authors' Party — original writing, read aloud to families
• Science fair — an investigation of their own, exhibited in person
• Knowledge fair — a research question they chose, defended out loud
• The podcast — entered in the NPR Student Podcast Challenge, judged nationally by strangers
• The graduation speech — written across drafts, delivered to the whole community
Overnights, the musical, and sports
Some things every TLC middle schooler does — the shared experiences that build class identity year over year.
• Fall overnight trip — early-year, built to solidify each class as a group
• Spring backpacking trip — multi-day backcountry, pushing independence and resilience
• The school musical — an annual production, onstage and behind the scenes
• Hospitality League sports — students play three seasons of team sports against area schools, where winning is great but appreciations and fair play are most important
Voices
In their own words
“The backpacking trips were great opportunities for Lucca to enjoy a physical challenge, hone his social skills, learn about the environment, exhibit leadership, and develop his outdoors skills.”
Lucca’s parent
“Ford’s work as student stage manager was a huge boost to his self-confidence. He didn’t want the spotlight but he thrived in the role behind the scenes.”
Ford’s Parent
“When I think of their time at TLC, I think ‘bricks in the foundation’ for integrity, perseverance, leadership, service, and being in relationship with those around you.”
A TLC Parent
Outcomes
Where they go next
This is usually the biggest question families have about a small K–8 school: will my child be ready for a competitive high school? Alumni families answer it more convincingly than we can.
“Both of my kids found high school academics relatively easy compared to their peers.”
“In their first year at college, they can still throw out a several-page paper in a short amount of time with confidence.”
“Throughout high school and now as a junior in college, Ivy has never been afraid to tackle a writing project, and she credits her TLC experience.”
where graduates go
A.C. Reynolds High School
Asheville High School
Asheville School
Carolina Day School
Charles D. Owen High School
Christ School
IC Imagine Public Charter School
Martin L. Nesbitt Jr. Discovery Academy
School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville