Our aim is to re-imagine middle school for the 21st century. Instead of seeing the middle school years as “awkward” and “difficult,” we think they’re the most important years to prepare students for the path to happy and successful adulthood. We’ve built a team of leading educators, researchers, and adolescent development psychologists, and together we’re designing a new model for middle school: one that combines exceptionally engaging academics with an approach that is highly social, personal, and rooted in the real world. Our first school is scheduled to open in San Francisco in Fall 2016.