Benefits of a K-8 Education

School systems across the country are discovering what we’ve known at Great Oaks Academy for years… k through eighth-grade schools provide the ideal emotional, social, and academic setting for a successful transition to high school and beyond.
So why should middle school students attend a school with five-year-olds down the hall? It’s precisely this relationship between the oldest and youngest students that makes the educational experience at Great Oaks so special. Just take a look at our “Reading Buddies” program that pairs eighth-graders with kindergartners. The little ones look up to their big buddies as role models, giving the eighth-graders a sense of confidence, responsibility, and maturity they would not find at a high school full of older students. In addition, the presence of younger students keeps our middle schoolers grounded and focused on academics instead of drugs, alcohol, and the social ladder. Eighth-graders who graduate from Great Oaks enter high school as self-assured, confident freshmen who are ready to face the academic and social challenges ahead.