MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM

Middle School is a time for exploration of identity. True middle schools, as they were conceptualized in the 1960s, were intended to be places where students in grades 6-8 could explore and experiment with different topics and concepts with scaffolding and support, so that by the time they entered high school, they would have a clearer sense of purpose and direction (read more about the Middle School Model and movement here!). Many “middle schools” these days are not true Middle Schools but instead are junior highs, using a high school model for grades 6-8.

Desert Dragon Learning Community strives to be a true middle school, where students in grades 6-8 can learn how they learn best and learn more about themselves. To meet those goals, we provide opportunities for self-directed learning, passion projects, and group activities.

Furthermore, Desert Dragon Learning Community is designed for and by neurodivergent learners, especially students with pathological demand avoidance, a profile of autism. We welcome all learners of varying needs as well!

WHAT WE DO

The main philosophy behind our approach is called “strewing”— providing ample opportunities for engagement and learning without pressure. We love this definition, from SENDinMama: “It’s the quiet art of placing interesting, open-ended things in your child’s path, without expectation, instruction, or pressure.”

Each quarter, students choose at least one individual passion project based on their own interests. Students will present their work to families and the community twice a year— in December and May.

We also bring in community members to provide engaging, interactive learning opportunities for students based on student interests. Past community member presentations include Tucson Clean and Beautiful, Tucson Electric Power’s Bright Ideas presentation, the Wild Snake Project, and humanitarian border relief activists. We also always welcome parent presentations about their areas of expertise! During the 2025-2026 school year, parents presented topics including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and Fear and the Amygdala.

The 2026-2027 school year will include weekly Lab sessions in English Language Arts, Math, Music, Art, Science, and Social Studies. Students will get to decide on other lab topics as well during the first few weeks of the academic year. Lab attendance is always optional. We call them “Labs” because we try to make them as hands-on and interactive as possible.

While the Labs schedule seems counter-intuitive to the concept of strewing, we find that having the Labs as options throughout the day is helpful for many of our students. Labs are student-interest driven; our instructors may have a plan in mind, but if student interest leads them elsewhere, the instructors follow! A great example for the 2025-2026 school year involved the TikTok trend of “speedrunning” the Church of Scientology. The students were discussing this, so the Social Science Lab instructor then spent some time teaching about the history of cults in America, and even brought in a community member who was part of a cult in the 1970s.

Families can choose to sign their student up for LifeHub Learning, an interactive program that gives students “jobs” in the form of quizzes, educational games, and digital worksheets. Upon completion of a “job,” students get paid real money! They get their own debit card, and get paid once a month. (LifeHub requires an additional monthly textbook fee based on your student’s earnings).

We provide optional MAP Growth testing twice a year, and parents can elect for their student to use MindPlay Reading and Math for personalized, self-paced digital curriculum. We will also provide access to Newsela for the 2026-2027 school year..

We also support parent-provided curriculum. Some students bring workbooks; others have digital programs they access and work on. As a KaiPod Partner School and member of the National Microschooling Center, we also have access to a menu of digital curriculum (i.e. Rosetta Stone, Lexia, Zearn) at a discount if parents are interested. We are always exploring new platforms and programs regularly to find ways to engage the individual learners we have. For example, several students use NoRedInk to work on grammar and writing, and ST Math for math skills practice.

Monthly Field Trips allow students to experience learning in different settings. During the 2024-2025 school year, we visited Pima Air and Space Museum, Mt. Lemmon, Reid Park Zoo, Tucson Village Farm, Creative Arts Teen Summit at the Tucson Festival of Books, Mission Garden, Second Sky, The Rogue Theatre, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, and Jumping Cholla. During the 2025-2026 school year, we visited El Jefe Cat Lounge, Mission Garden, Cooper Center for Environmental Learning, Tucson Village Farm, saw the Dr. Kaboom show at Fox Theatre and Heist at Arizona Theatre Company, Creative Arts Teen Summit at the Tucson Festival of Books, Lava Island, and Second Sky.

Middle School Daily Schedule (lab classes vary by day):

9:30-10:00: Drop off, games/activities

10:00-11:00: Independent Work TIme

11-12:00: Lab Class

12:00-1:00: Lunch, outdoor activities

1:00-2:00: Lab Class

2:00-2:40: Games/Independent Work Time

2:40-2:45: Cleanup

2:45-3:00: Closing Circle

3:00-3:15: Parent pick up

Students will always have choices and control around how they spend their time. If they choose not to attend a Lab, for example, they can choose to do something else in a different space as long as a staff member can supervise. 

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM

We are opening up a few spots for our first group of elementary schoolers for the 2026-2027 school year! Elementary schoolers will be sharing the same space as our middle schoolers, and our few high school-aged students.

The elementary program will be just like the middle school program, with the focus on self-directed learning supported through strewing, community speakers, digital curriculum options, and monthly field trips. Instead of 2 Lab classes a day that vary by topic each day, elementary schoolers will have one Learning Lab every morning while our middle schoolers have independent work time, with hands-on, cross-curricular activities. While the middle schoolers have their Lab classes, the elementary schoolers will have independent work time and open use of the space to create, play, and explore.

We always welcome parents to stay and play and share their interests and expertise. We are open to parent support for our younger students depending on parent interest and availability.

Elementary School Daily Schedule:

9:30-10:00: Drop off, games/activities

10:00-11:00: Learning Lab

11-12:00: Independent work time

12:00-1:00: Lunch, outdoor activities

1:00-2:00: Independent work time

2:00-2:40: Games

2:40-2:45: Cleanup

2:45-3:00: Closing Circle

3:00-3:15: Parent pick up

Just like with our middle schoolers, elementary school students will always have choices and control around how they spend their time. If they choose not to participate in Learning Lab, for example, they can choose to do something else in a different space as long as a staff member can supervise. 

Bread making with Tucson Fun Science