Aim High is a five-week summer enrichment program for rising 6th – 9th graders from low-income communities across the greater Bay Area. Offered at no cost to students and their families for up to four summers, Aim High helps middle schoolers build academic confidence, discover a love of learning, and develop the skills they need to thrive in high school and in life.
At Aim High, small classes and nurturing teachers ensure that every student has a voice and the space to realize their unique potential. From that supportive footing, students explore fun project-based activities—storytelling, debating, dissecting, cooking, performing—that capture their curiosity and spark a lifelong love of learning.
Curriculum to Engage Challenge Motivate Grow
A mix of rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, and enriching electives, our standards-aligned curriculum reinforces what students learn in school and prepares them for the year ahead.
Students utilize the design process to develop solutions to a challenge in their community. Through this process, students have the opportunity to build transferable deeper learning skills such as mastery of academic content, critical thinking and problem-solving; collaboration; effective communication; and directing their own learning.
Students read excerpts from stories where they see themselves. Our goal is for students to be challenged and supported both academically and socio-emotionally, so that they end their summer at Aim High feeling more confident in their literacy skills than when they began the program.
Our Issues & Choices class provides a tremendous opportunity for students to explore their identity in conscious ways while lifting voices, sharing stories, and values rooted in identity and pride. The course involves challenging topics relevant to developmental grade level needs and can connect with family, peer interactions, and personal values.
Students explore college and career options available to them, set goals for their future, and identify a pathway to reach these goals. Their pathway will include middle and high school success skills, self-efficacy development and connecting to college access resources.
Students participate in a range of activities such as lacrosse, soccer, dance or photography.
“Because of Aim high I've now had the courage to talk to new people and have a open mind with doing new things. I've step into leadership roles when needed to and been able to communicate way better.”
Student
“Because of Aim high I've now had the courage to talk to new people and have a open mind with doing new things. I've step into leadership roles when needed to and been able to communicate way better.”
Parent
“Because of Aim high I've now had the courage to talk to new people and have a open mind with doing new things. I've step into leadership roles when needed to and been able to communicate way better.”
Teacher
