Both of my kids loved middle school a whole lot more than elementary school. According to them everybody in elementary school was treated like a child, when entered middle school treated like they were older and independent.

100%! The classes were more interesting she says and she likes the independence (vs being line lead from class to lunch , etc in elementary). I was worried for the same reasons as you but even with weird covid year she has thrived.

Mine is older now but Middle School was definitely a happier time for her than elementary school. She was timid and anxious in elementary school but really found her voice in middle school. Seventh grade, the year I think of is the ninth Circle of adolescent hell, was actually a great year for her.

Our son was a happy MS student. Pur daughter, miserable.

Mine was. The teachers were much better and things were highly structured so not a lot of room for social problems. Made some nice friends.

My daughter loved middle!!! She was not a fan of elementary and really blossomed socially with the new mix of kids!

DD is in 7th and loves it. As others said above, she's all about autonomy and independence, and thankfully she seems to have the organizational skills and maturity to handle it well. The transition was suprisingly easy and welcome! (Not sure DS will be quite there when his turn comes, but hopefully?!)

She also likes changing classes and mixing and matching with more kids instead of mostly sticking with her homeroom all day. And it helps that she and many of her friends can bike or walk to school (we were further from the elementary school) and they can hang out together afterwards (outside since Covid hit) or stay for middle school sports. All that independence has been great for her!

Kids whose elementary school social situations were not ideal often benefit from meeting and mixing with a new set of kids from the other elementary schools. Academically, many kids enjoy the electives, social studies and science getting equal time to English and math, and teachers who specialize in their subjects. Middle schools being larger, have drawbacks but they also have certain resources (special ed, sports, counseling, etc.) that elementary schools can't offer.

I was, when I transferred to a middle school where I had a lot of freedom and autonomy. Also helped that it was a neighborhood school where most kids biked or walked. Of course I got up to a lot of trouble, but I was happy!

I liked it ok, but in my opinion is does sort of contribute to kids having to grow up faster than they need to. And they remove fun things like recess and Halloween, and the homework can be pretty much. I would have preferred a k-8 elem/primary school.

My daughter just loves middle school. She made so many friends. She loves changing g classes. She’s learned to speak up for herself. There are really fun clubs. It’s been a great few years.

My kid loved the increased autonomy and the related idea of elective classes. By the end of elementary, they were ready for more responsibility and less coddling.

It can be tough in many ways, but it’s amazing to watch your child start to try on different identities and gradually grow into adult ways of looking at the world.

Mine is as well. She was ready for the more advanced curriculum.

Mine is. It surprised me. Much happier.

I dont know any kid that loved middle school. My daughter is heading to middle school next year...