Middle School

The Al Falah Middle School serves students in Grades 6-8, in a primarily gender-separated classroom format. Middle School is a time of rapid change, when students are forming their new critical-thinking skills, growing more aware of their personality, the world, and social influences. This is the stage of life in which the establishment of strong faith (iman) is most important.

The Al Falah model of education promotes rigor in its true sense of challenging students to do more than they think they can, with proper support and encouragement. Core classes are planned with experiential aspects such as labs, projects, experiments, field studies, and opportunities for public speaking. The PBL (problem-based learning) units continue but with a more professional tone, so that students become the activists, historians, scientists, and producers who solve problems generated from the learning standards in a realistic setting. The middle school experience is formed by sharing their growing knowledge, skills, and experiences in Celebrations of Learning, in Friday Assemblies, and in clubs, sports, and competitions.

Our students meet or beat national standardized Measuring Academic Progress (MAP) testing scores in Reading, ELA, and Math consistently, and we often meet or beat the next grade level nationally. Students may qualify for Accelerated Math classes starting in 6th grade, and benchmarking in Arabic language, with the nationally-standardized AAPPL test, as well as in Qur’an with benchmarking tests in tajweed, further challenge students to reach high levels. Students may qualify to earn high school credit by the end of 8th grade in math and Arabic.

Athletics is a popular option for both boys and girls in single-gender teams for Cross Country, Basketball, Soccer, and Table Tennis. The AFA Lions play teams from across the city, and our annual athletic banquet is a highlight of the year. Clubs like Chess Club and Scouting, with boys’ and girls’ dens, build skills and fellowship. Friday Advisory has been established to provide our young pre-teens and teens guidance as they navigate social media and modern trends, always pointing them to the roots of their Deen and the growth in their Iman. School spirit is exhibited in many rituals and conventions that have been established to excite our students in their Muslim identity. From the Shaban retreat to get body, soul, and spirit ready for Ramadan, to the humor in Spirit Week, in our advocacy for social change during Black History Month and justice for nations and peoples under oppression, in our championing of those fighting cancer as well as fellow citizens who suffer from hunger, our students learn what Iman requires: expressing faith in Allah SWT by serving mankind, living the hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “no one of you is a true believer unless he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.”