Private Middle Schools in Destin, Florida: What Grades 5 to 8 Look Like

Middle school is where many families start to question the school they chose in elementary. Homework grows, friendships shift, and a child who coasted through fourth grade can suddenly feel lost. Parents in Destin often ask whether a private middle school is worth considering at this point, and what it would give their child that a larger school would not.

This guide explains what grades 5 to 8 look like at The Barrett School, and gives you a list of questions to ask at any school you visit.

Why Middle School Is the Year to Choose Carefully

The jump from elementary to middle school asks more of a child. Students move between subjects, manage more assignments, and begin building the study habits they will need in high school. A child who falls behind in grade 6 or 7 often carries that gap into ninth grade, when credits and transcripts start to count.

Class size matters more in these years than most families expect. When a teacher knows every student by name and by work, a slipping grade gets noticed in the first week, not at the end of the term.

What Grades 5 to 8 Look Like at The Barrett School

The Intermediate School at The Barrett School serves grades 5 through 8 on a single campus at 4405 Commons Drive East in Destin. Students follow a full five-day academic week, and class sizes are capped at 8 to 12 students.

Small Classes

With 8 to 12 students in a room, every child speaks, answers, and gets feedback in each lesson. Teachers can see who understood a concept and who needs another explanation before the next one begins.

Hands-On STEM

Students work on robotics, coding, 3D printing, and collaborative science labs. STEM and AI are woven into subjects across the school instead of sitting in a separate elective, so a science project and a writing assignment can draw on the same skills. Our guide to STEM and AI education in Destin shows how this works across grade levels.

Project-Based Learning

Intermediate School students build things, test them, and explain their results. The goal is real-world skill: planning a project, working with a team, and presenting what they found.

Electives That Apply Creativity and Technology

The Intermediate School electives focus on applied creativity and early exposure to technology:

• Physical art, with more advanced materials, technique, and creative projects

• Music, with continued development and performance opportunities

• Digital photography and photo editing, using the Adobe Suite

• Video production and editing, covering storyboarding, filming, and editing with industry-standard Adobe tools

A student who finishes eighth grade with a short film or a photography portfolio has practiced planning, revising, and finishing a project. Those are the same habits high school coursework asks for.

What to Compare Between Middle Schools

Use the same list at every school you visit, public or private. The differences show up in specifics.

Class Size and Attention

Ask for the typical number of students in a core class, not the school-wide ratio. Then ask how a teacher finds out that a student is struggling and how quickly a parent hears about it.

Instruction and Pace

Ask how the school handles a student who is ahead in math but behind in reading, or the reverse. Look for a clear answer about how the work is adjusted, not a general statement about differentiation.

Electives and Technology

Find out which electives are open to students in grades 6 to 8, who teaches them, and whether students use real tools or only watch demonstrations.

Schedule and Daily Rhythm

Ask about the length of the school day, the homework load by grade, and how much time students spend moving between classrooms. Our comparison of private and public schools in Destin covers the larger differences families weigh.

Values and Community

Ask what the school expects of students beyond grades. The Barrett School is secular and non-denominational, and no religious content is part of any academic subject. It is the only non-faith-based private school in the Destin area, which matters to families who want a school without a religious framework.

Cost and Scholarships

For 2026-2027, tuition at The Barrett School is $16,000 per year for grades 1 through 12, with a payment plan of 10 monthly installments from August through May. The application fee is $200 per student, and the enrollment deposit is $500 for new families.

The Barrett School accepts Step Up for Students and Florida Family Empowerment scholarships. Eligibility and award amounts are set by the scholarship program, so confirm your family's status directly with Step Up for Students before you plan around a specific figure.

Preparing for High School

Eighth grade at The Barrett School leads straight into the Upper School on the same campus. Your child stays with teachers and classmates they know and does not have to adjust to a new building at the same time as ninth-grade coursework. To see the pathway from kindergarten through twelfth grade, including college-level courses, read about our full academic programme.

Questions to Ask on a Middle School Tour

• How many students are in a core class, and who is the lead teacher?

• How do you tell parents when a student is falling behind?

• What does a typical week of project work look like in grades 6 to 8?

• Which electives can my child take, and what tools do they use?

• What happens in eighth grade to prepare students for ninth?

• What does tuition cover, and what costs extra?

See the Intermediate School in Person

A tour shows you what a description cannot: how students talk to teachers, how a lab or studio is used, and whether your child can picture a day there. Schedule a campus visit to meet the team and see the classrooms. Tours run Monday through Friday between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. When you are ready to move forward, the application process walks through each step. You can also reach the team at (850) 353-2153 or info@thebarrettschool.org.