UPDATED: September 2011
In your quest to find the perfect middle school for your child, you may want to start by looking at your “home” school. For many BocaParent readers, that is Boca Middle School.
(For links to the other schools that serve sixth, seventh and eighth grades, visit our Middle School page.)
BocaParent sat down last fall with Alicia Steiger, who was then assistant principal of curriculum and administration, to hear all about the school’s offerings – including two competitive “choice” programs: A premed/science academy and a math academy that attract students from all over.
“We have something for everybody. Our student population is diverse and actually represents what the world is today,” Steiger said.
The A-rated school also offers a host of honors and gifted classes, as well as Spanish, computer skills and a yearlong art elective. It has an award-winning band, music classes and a chorus. It also serves kids with special needs.
Boca Middle strongly emphasizes good behavior, with anti-bullying messages throughout the school. Kids and school staff wear anti-bullying T-shirts on Fridays, and many students have been trained in how to defuse tense situations among their peers.
The recently renovated school has a new track, and the buildings are clean and well-kept.
BocaParent is exploring all the middle school options for Boca Raton. Find links to the public, private and parochial schools – and submit your questions about them – on our Middle School page.
Here’s some details about what to expect:
Choice Programs
Completion of either the premed/science or math academy earns students priority acceptance into Boca High’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program. Students in both academies are also required to take Spanish. They spend two hours a day on academy courses.
PREMED
Your student need not aspire to be a doctor to benefit from this program. It’s an intensive, but wide-ranging curriculum that encompasses research, anatomy, nutrition and sports medicine, among other topics. Eighth-graders serve internships at a medical business. The program is very hands-on.
On the day we visited, the kids were dissecting a small animal. Students wear scrubs to school one day a week.
MATH
The math academy offers accelerated math classes, some of which count toward a high school diploma, including an honors Algebra I, geometry and Algebra II.
HOW TO APPLY
Choice applications are due to the Palm Beach County School District on Dec. 16. The school typically has about 65 seats available in the premed academy and 44-66 in the math academy. For the best chance of getting into this program, make it your first choice. Kids from all over, including private schools, are eligible to apply.
Other Details
Start time: 9:30 a.m. Early dropoff is available starting at 7:30 a.m. for $5 a day. The students go to the gym or media center to play sports or work on the computers. Dismissal is at 4:05 p.m. An after-school program is also available until 5:30 p.m.
Dress code: Students must wear collared polo shirts of any color and any color cotton pants (no jeans). Girls’ skirts and shorts must be finger-tip length. Closed-toe shoes required.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Boca Middle offers many sports teams, including volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, dance, swimming and kickball.
Clubs include Building Through Art, yearbook, newspaper, chess club and more.
For students who qualify for bus transportation, they can stay after-school for activities until 5:30 and still be able to take the bus home.
Is This Your ‘Home’ School?
These elementary schools feed into Boca Middle: Addison Mizner, J.C. Mitchell, Boca Elementary, and parts of Calusa and Orchard View in Delray Beach. The Palm Beach County School Board is considering some changes to the boundaries.
To Learn More
Visit the school’s Edline page or email the school at BocaRatonMS@palmbeach.k12.fl.us with any questions.
