Beginning in sixth grade, students have a homeroom teacher they see at the beginning of the day for attendance, lunch orders, announcements, and devotional time. At the end of the day, students will have a 20-minute study hall period where they may begin working on homework. For core curriculum courses and an elective, your student will change classes, getting the opportunity to make many new friends.

Heterogeneous grouping with differentiated instruction in the middle grades ensures your student has a chance to master the content in a learning environment that gives them the opportunity to shine while also strengthening skills in learning modalities that are a bit more challenging.

Middle school students have lunch with their grade and may sit with their friends for a time of fellowship.

Our faculty has worked hard through the years to craft homework assignments that are necessary and beneficial. Teachers do not assign homework over school breaks, with the exception of the summer reading projects. English teachers assign optional summer reading projects to keep students learning and growing over the break between grades, as well as to provide an early assessment of reading and writing skills.

Sixth- through eighth-grade students are fully immersed in the 1:1 iPad program. Students who attend NRCA in elementary grades are already familiar with using iPads in the classroom. In middle school, they learn digital citizenship beyond the academy campus as the iPads go home each day. Much instruction goes into the guidelines for using technology in a virtuous manner. Detailed information on how NRCA manages the 1:1 program and teaches students to become responsible digital citizens appears under the Technology heading in the Academics section of this website.

Parents can monitor student attendance and grades through PowerSchool. NRCA uses Schoology learning management system to post assignments and assessments, as well as communicate directly with students. As a parent, you can create an observer account in Schoology to see everything your child sees, including the assignment and assessment calendar, assignment instructions and support materials, and academic communication from teachers to students.

In the spring of each year, NRCA administers the Iowa Assessments™ to students. This standardized test allows NRCA to track your student’s progress in learning and helps us make sure the curriculum provides what students need to be successful academically. NRCA middle school students typically score three to four years above the national average on the Iowa Assessments™.

Beginning in seventh grade, NRCA students who meet the five-pillars requirements for the National Junior Honor Society are eligible for induction. Those five pillars are scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship.