Early adolescence brings a distinct blend of rapid brain development, new and more complex emotions, a strong pull toward independence, and the continued need for sound guidance from trusted adults who know them well.
Our program is calibrated to this stage of becoming.
Middle school coursework emphasizes hands-on, interdisciplinary work, student agency, and collaboration within small classes that give friendships room to deepen. Teachers carefully adjust their approach to serve as mentors, guides, and coaches, and students lead by example for SFS’s younger community members.
In SFS’s Middle School, the learning is exciting, student curiosity is high, mistakes are part of the process, and authentic relationships build a strong sense of belonging. Our graduates know themselves well and choose from the top high schools in the Bay Area and beyond to find their success beyond SFS.
Thinking Critically
Early adolescence is a time of rapid development and adaptation. SFS’s Middle School program invites students to work collaboratively on projects and hands-on assignments that help them hold several perspectives, think strategically, and weigh competing arguments.
Independence and challenge grow together at SFS. As students embrace increased autonomy, we ask them to think harder through richer texts, deeper discussions, higher expectations, and a workload that stretches them productively.
Learning in Community
Friendships and peer opinions take on greater significance in early adolescence, so belonging is cultivated in every SFS classroom. In classes no larger than 20, students rarely work alone and maintain deep connections with their peers and teachers.
Class discussions are built upon open inquiry and on students’ own experiences, on campus and off. Hallmark trips take students across the region and the country. In 8th grade, they travel to Alabama on a Civil Rights tour and reflect on where, how, and why the dynamics they explored there are still relevant today.
Learning with Teachers as Mentors, Guides, and Coaches
Early adolescents’ grasp of identity takes on new dimensions. They think more carefully about who they are and how they influence others, and they understand the inner lives of others more fully. They look to peers for closeness and belonging while seeking independence, respect, opportunities to lead, and recognition for their knowledge and insights.
Adults remain a critical influence as a safe haven for early adolescents. This balance requires teachers who are experts in the material and the student. SFS’s faculty teach through conversation and pair high standards with enthusiastic confidence in each student’s ability, which inspires them to fulfill their potential academically, socially, and emotionally.
Emerging Leaders
Early adolescents seek responsibilities that make an obvious impact. Leadership in SFS’s Middle School is focused on stewarding the school community. Every student serves as an older buddy to two grade levels and embraces the responsibility of serving as a role model.
Additionally, students maintain a student council, create student-led electives for peers, lead a weekly Town Meeting, take on leadership roles in SFS’s extended day and summer programs, lead conferences with their advisor and parenting adults, and pursue childcare opportunities in their communities.
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Making Room for Mistakes
Early adolescents try out new ways of being, both as individuals and community members. In that experimentation, missteps are inevitable. SFS’s Middle School understands that mistakes, such as clumsy jokes or missed assignments, are part of early adolescence and don’t always reflect who each student is becoming.
Expecting mistakes is an essential part of holding students accountable, particularly by using a conversational approach. When adults ask for a student’s perspective and take it seriously, students feel more respected, and the need for discipline declines.
The simple act of asking students what happened, how their actions impacted others, and how a different approach might have been more effective helps students see a wider view of the choices available to them.
As Kind As They Are Smart
Equally as important as preparing students for high school, SFS’s Middle School is focused on equipping students to make their communities better.
Early adolescents are deciding who they are and what they stand for. Through the Youth Humanitarian Institute, SFS students address economic security, literacy and educational access, environmental sustainability, and civic engagement on campus, in the neighborhood, in the Bay Area, and beyond.
SFS graduates leave as kind as they are smart and ready to be better for each other.
Learning on the Field of Play
Early adolescents who stay active and participate in team activities build deeper confidence, stronger social skills, and more resilience, especially when they are supported by coaches who prioritize relationships, skill development, and perseverance.
More than 80% of SFS Middle School students play on one or more of our interscholastic teams: cross country, volleyball, basketball, and futsal.
We celebrate our athletes when they win championships in the San Francisco Athletic League and recognize that the true purpose of athletics is skill development, hard work, productive team membership, and embracing competition with respect and integrity.
Executive Functioning
The increased desire for responsibility and autonomy in early adolescence is addressed through SFS’s intentional focus on executive functioning. Courses in study skills and life skills help students develop practical strategies for budgeting time, staying organized, and following through.
Self-discipline is a reliable predictor of academic success through high school, college, and beyond, and SFS students graduate with the skills and habits necessary to rely on themselves throughout their lives.
Technology
Technology at SFS asks students to learn how to use technology to support their learning while considering the impact of artificial intelligence, algorithms, and screen time on citizenship and humanity.
As one of many tools that serve the learning and growth of Middle School students at SFS, technology is incorporated into the learning in a way that supports students in fulfilling their potential.
Every Middle Schooler is provided with an iPad and a keyboard, and teachers ask students to use those tools when appropriate for the work, with a constant eye on levels of screen time. Personal devices such as phones and smartwatches are turned in each day before the start of school.
SFS’ digital wellbeing guidelines are developed with families in mind to ensure this healthy approach to technology is easily continued at home.
More Agency, With Support
Early adolescents rely on their schools to meet their rising desire for independence while understanding that agency is a skill that must be taught and developed. The right blend of independence and opportunities to make choices correlates with higher levels of motivation and academic performance.
Our Middle School program gives students increased responsibilities, along with structures to help them succeed and meet increased expectations. Each student has a wealth of support for academic, mental, and physical well-being, including administrators, grade-level deans, teachers, an advisor, a health care practitioner, a learning specialist, a counselor, and, starting in 7th grade, a high school guidance counselor.
Raquel Vizcaino
Head of Middle School
Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much. --Helen Keller
I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain, where I earned my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Teaching as well as a Master’s in Educational Psychology. I bring 16 years of experience in the K-12 education field. I have served as a teacher and in different leadership positions in Spain and the United States.
When I moved to the Bay Area, I studied Early Childhood Education and specialized in second language acquisition and teaching. At my last school, Escuela Bilingüe Internacional, an IB and bilingual school, I served as Principal 2-8. Before moving to the East Bay school, I was at Spanish Infusion School (former Marin Preparatory School) for six years. There, I held different roles, from teaching to Upper School Head, supporting families, students, and teachers in the division 5-8. I also served as Spanish Language Director for four years, where I proudly developed and led the K-8 Spanish Program.
I believe that the role of educators is guiding students to think critically and support them in their journey to finding their own path. Partnering with all members of the community is essential to enabling students to become compassionate adults and lifelong learners, ready to make a positive impact in their communities and the world.
I am a sports fan who loves to cook, read, work out, and discover new places with my husband and daughter.
Sample Schedule
| 7:30-8:00 am | Morning Extended Day (optional) |
| 8:00-8:30 am | Regular Drop-off |
| 8:30-9:20 am | Core Academics: Spanish (Beginning, Intermediate, or Immersion) |
| 9:20-10:15 am | Core Academics: Humanities |
| 10:15-10:30 am | Recess |
| 10:30-11:20 am | Academic Advisory |
| 11:20 am-12:00 pm | Lunch |
| 12:00-12:50 pm | Core Academics: Art & Design |
| 12:50-1:45 pm | Core Academics: Math |
| 1:45-2:00 pm | Recess |
| 2:00-2:30 pm | Town Meeting |
| 2:30-3:30 pm | Electives |
| 3:30-3:45 pm | Regular Pick-up |
| 3:30-6:00 pm | Afternoon Extended Day (optional) |