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Academics

Frequently Asked Questions – 5th – 8th


Thank you for your interest in Friends Christian Middle School. We welcome your questions! We want to get to know you, and we want you to get to know us. Questions give us a chance to share more about what FCS offers.

The questions listed below are the ones we are asked most often. If you don’t see the information you want listed below, call either the elementary or middle school office, depending on the grade level you are exploring. Better yet—come for a visit and see what Friends Christian School can offer.

ARE FCS TEACHERS CREDENTIALED? IS THE SCHOOL ACCREDITED?
All teachers have state teaching credentials and Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) certificates. FCS is accredited by both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Association of Christian Schools International.

WHAT IS THE STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO? HOW MANY CLASSES PER GRADE LEVEL?
5th grade has 3 classes with 29–30 students in each class, and 6th grade has 4 classes with 21–25 students in each class. 7th and 8th graders have a seven period day with 13–31 students in each class.

WHAT EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES DO WE HAVE ON CAMPUS? IS THERE AN ADDITIONAL COST?
On the middle school campus, students can participate in athletics, including: flag football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, cross country, track, and roller hockey. The cost per sport ranges between $45–$165. Other available activities on the middle school campus include: band, choir, Praise Band, Academic Pentathlon, and LEGO Robotics. These activities each range between $50 and $120. Cheerleading is also offered and costs significantly more because of uniforms and other expenses.

The 6th graders have an outdoor education outing for $380. Our 8th grade students enjoy the sites of Washington D.C. and New York city, costing about $3,025.

ARE UNIFORMS REQUIRED?
Students do wear school uniforms, and on Fridays, students may Spirit wear. School uniforms are purchased from Global School Wear, and Spirit wear is purchased from Blackbox Merchandise.

DO YOU PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN WHO NEED EXTRA HELP?
All students enrolled at Friends Christian School are expected to be able to participate in the regular, grade-level curriculum. For those students struggling to meet the grade-level expectations, the Success program has been developed to:

    1. provide specialized support to the classroom teachers to meet the academic needs of students, an
    2. provide direct services to students through a pull-out support program where students participate in small group instruction targeted at addressing academic areas of need, and
    3. provide Math tutoring , available during lunch to our 5th and 6th grade students at no additional cost.

Support is also provided to classroom teachers to help address the social/behavioral needs of students.

MY CHILD IS GIFTED ACADEMICALLY. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU HAVE TO MEET HIS OR HER NEEDS?
Gifted students have multiple opportunities to excel. Starting in 5th grade, all subjects increase the number of open-ended projects, enabling advanced students to achieve beyond normal requirements. In sixth grade, our advanced math track differentiates further, with the most advanced students preparing for geometry in eighth grade. Honors English is offered in 7th and 8th grade.

Additional opportunities for gifted students include our after school robotics program (available for 3rd through 8th grade), academic pentathlon (available for 6th through 8th grade), ACSI Math Olympics and other math competitions, the ACSI Spelling Bee, and a two-year Spanish sequence in 7th and 8th grade that completes the equivalent of the first year of high school Spanish.

ARE PARENTS REQUIRED TO BE CHRISTIANS OR SIGN A STATEMENT OF FAITH?
No, parents are not required to be Christian. During enrollment of a new student, parent(s) are asked to describe their current relationship with God, the history (if any) of their Christian commitment, and their present church involvement. If one or both of the parents do not have a current relationship with God, it will not affect the registration of their student at FCS.

DO WE HAVE A LIBRARY AND COMPUTER LAB? HOW MANY COMPUTERS ARE AVAILABLE?
On the middle school campus, we have a library that includes 34 computers for student use. Our computer lab provides an additional 30 computers for 5th–8th graders.

WHAT ELECTIVES ARE AVAILABLE FOR OUR 7TH AND 8TH GRADERS?
Electives for 7th and 8th graders are listed with descriptions under the curriculum for those grades at

Seventh Grade School Curriculum
Eighth Grade School Curriculum

DO THE 5TH–8TH GRADERS HAVE BREAKS AND LUNCHES TOGETHER?
No, fifth and sixth graders have breaks and lunch at the same time, and seventh and eighth graders have lunch and breaks together.

All middle school students are together for chapel and some special assemblies.

WHAT ARE THE EXTENDED CARE HOURS? WHAT IS THE COST?
The middle school campus offers supervised care when school is in session, beginning at 7:00 AM–8:00 AM, and again after school from 3:30 PM–6:00 PM. Hourly use of extended care is $5.50 per hour—or any part of an hour for each child.