During 8th grade, the focus shifts to two critical milestones for later success: careful high school selection and completing Algebra 1.

The elaborate New York City high school admissions system means that there can be a huge difference between attending a challenging school with advanced coursework and an environment of academic success, and a neighborhood high school with fewer resources and a low college attendance rate.  Hence, high school admissions is our top priority.

Completion of Algebra 1 is the second key milestone for staying on par with more affluent peers.  Without taking this course in middle school, the high school course schedule prevents reaching Calculus before college.  We offer an Algebra 1 course and tutoring in our office hours to provide an avenue for all students to take the class, even if their middle school does not offer it.

Although high school admissions, an Algebra 1 course(with some private tutoring) and enrichment courses take up the bulk of our focus in 8th grade, we also begin our advising program with admissions help toward entering into other programs for advanced study (such as the Center for Talented Youth), and additional learning opportunities such as trips to Splash at Yale, Google’s New York City offices, a college day, and a career day. Such opportunities engage students and help them envision the options they have if they continue to pursue mathematics at a high level. Finally, the intellectual community established during the summer is sustained through these events and end-of-semester parties to celebrate successes.