Microschools Expand to Middle Schools; Fostering Curiosity, Collaboration and Real-World Learning

What if part of the school day was designed for solving real problems, working in small teams, building strong relationships, and connecting learning to the world around us? That’s the idea behind the microschools now underway for some eighth-grade students at Maywood and Pine Lake Middle Schools.  

Microschools are small by design. Following a successful pilot microschool program at Issaquah High School last year, the district expanded to middle school microschools with support from the Issaquah Schools Foundation. The “school within a school” model brings students together for two class periods each day in small cohorts focused on interdisciplinary, project-based learning focused on exploring and solving challenges in our schools, community and the world.  

Maywood’s microschool focuses on ELA (English Language Arts) and Science with a core theme of sustainability, water and the Salish Sea. Pine Lake’s program focuses on social studies and science, and learning has the theme of sustainability and connection to Sammamish’s Climate Action Plan. Cohorts remain intentionally small; about 28 students at Pine Lake and roughly 50 students across two groups at Maywood, allowing for strong relationships and collaboration during two periods per day.   

“Students learn social studies and science in the context of sustainability, linking the two content areas and using the community’s sustainability action plan as a guide to design and implement impact projects,” said Jeffrey Burgard, Pine Lake Middle School teacher. “Those projects are driven by curriculum-based questions, and students report their impact to the city council once each trimester.” 

Why microschools? For educators, the model is about making learning relevant. “In our microschools, students work in close-knit cohorts, tackle real challenges connected to their community, and build deep relationships with peers and teachers,” said Julia Bamba, Principal on Special Assignment for Secondary Innovation. “That combination creates the conditions for curiosity, collaboration and creativity to thrive.”  

Early results are promising. “Students are engaged, learning feels relevant, and connections to sustainability and community are authentic,” Bamba said.  

At Maywood, teacher Val Buck sees the impact daily. “The flexibility to teach in an interdisciplinary way connected to our local ecosystem allows students to see the ‘why’ of our learning,” Buck said. “Since students are invested in the topics, they tend to be more passionate about their work.”  

Students apply their learning in real-world contexts from analyzing sustainability practices at Climate Pledge Arena to studying marine ecosystems at the Seattle Aquarium. Those experiences spark a lasting impact.  

 “After visiting Climate Pledge Arena, students started noticing things we could do here at Maywood,” Buck said. “Our class on sea otters at the Seattle Aquarium helped students see science as part of their future; we have at least one marine biology major now.”  

Teachers are also seeing shifts in mindset. “Students are more persistent…. they’re willing to try, test, fail and try again,” Buck said. “They support one another in everything from peer editing to hands-on projects and problem-solving.”  

The cohort model builds trust, encouraging students to take academic risks, make connections across subjects, and learn from one another.  

Students describe their learning experiences as both meaningful and impactful. “I am proud of my Fast Fashion project because I think I did really well, and I put in the effort. I loved learning about fast fashion and its impact in our community,” said Jocelyn Juarez Basto.  

“Reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will stick with me,” said Tristan McNally. “It’s inspiring to see into the lives of other people who are struggling and how they can pick themselves back up. It also makes me more sympathetic towards them.”  

With continued support from the Issaquah Schools Foundation, the district plans to expand microschools to all middle schools next year. Some of the new microschools next year will provide experiences across content areas such as language arts and leadership, Language arts and design, science, gardening, and cooking. These are just a few ways that our middle schools are exploring how to create interdisciplinary learning experiences. 

Microschools aren’t replacing traditional learning; they’re expanding it. By creating smaller, connected learning environments, the district is exploring how real-world problem-solving and strong relationships can help students not only learn content, but understand why it matters and how they can impact the world around them.