How do you prepare for middle school? By getting a solid start in grades K-5. Innovations Academy (IA), a tuition-free K-8 public school in San Diego, sets our students up for success no matter what the grade.
Strong Start to School
Innovations Academy focuses on a powerful foundation in the lower grades. This means making sure students are getting a wide variety of learning opportunities, meeting the California Learning Standards, and making so many social emotional connections. Here are some IA advantages:
- Play-based learning inside our amazing facility and outside in our park-like “backyard”
- Speaking of: environmental science via nature-based studies!
- Snack breaks in the morning and afternoon as well as ample integrated lunch and outdoor play
- A literacy coach so students can quickly advance to “reading to learn” rather than “learning to read”
- Regular field studies which takes our learning out into the community
- Positive discipline approach gives students choices rather than punishments. Students develop skills like social awareness, personal responsibility, regulation of emotions, and self-awareness
- Arts for all- 2D, 3D and performing arts programs as well as incorporation of arts into learning. Art develops creative thinking and self-expression through movie making, documentary filming, website design, vlogging, painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, ceramics, debate, reader’s theater, theater production, improvisation and more
- Starting in third grade, all students participate in a minimum of 75 minutes of math five days a week
- Inquiry-based project learning means hands-on exploration instead of textbooks and mindless worksheets
Looking Ahead to Middle School
Middle school at Innovations Academy takes our foundational years and builds in independence and autonomy. 6th-8th grade students get:
- Seminars, electives, athletics, and planning our school-wide events are how we expose students to skill development in new realms
- A cafe? Yes, students can fuel up while completing weekly work in our cafe which encourages the skills of independence and responsibility
- Visits to high schools (and some high schools come here!) so expectations and plans for the future can be successfully developed
- Team-building activities twice a week for middle school students, Partnered with two days of advisory in which multi-grade teams discuss relevant social emotional topics for middle schoolers
- Friday Seminars such as cooking, short film studies, mentoring younger students, sports-related activities, wood carving, candle dipping, beaded keychains, and strategy board games
- Core STEM, arts, and Spanish language classes
And what does all of this equal? Academically qualified and confident students ready for high school! At Innovations Academy, we focus on a strong educational foundation so that middle school to high school is a seamless transition. Join our tuition-free public school and reap the benefits. Enrolling now for Fall 2025!
About Innovations Academy:
Innovations Academy is a tuition-free public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in San Diego, California. Our small school values a hands-on, inquiry-based education with high academic standards using self-expression, compassionate connection, and purposeful learning. Our new modern campus is intentionally designed with curiosity and exploration in mind. Join our innovative school today! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Find us at innovationsacademy.org.