Where ambitious kids unlock their potential
Primer Microschools provide an innovative school experience that blends a small, in-person learning community with engaging hybrid courses to meet every learner’s unique goals, needs, and passions.
Opening in Miami
Coconut Grove • Liberty City • Kendall
Small classes, big connections
A 1:12 teacher-student ratio empowers teachers at Primer to build deep relationships with their students. Each student knows that they belong to a caring community of teachers and peers.
Real-world passion projects
Build a robot. Record a song. Start a business. Every day, students have blocks of time to go deep on their unique interests. Primer’s team of project advisors helps students set and achieve ambitious goals.
Extraordinary educators
Hybrid courses allow Primer to hire the best educators for each subject – no matter where they live. Students spend less than two hours per day in virtual lessons and the rest of their time learning offline.
Competitive transcripts
Primer’s carefully vetted, standards-based curriculum ensures students build competitive transcripts so that our graduates will be admitted by top-tier high schools and universities.
Intentional habit and community building
Primer students spend time each day building habits that will set them up for a lifetime of success. Teachers help students practice mindfulness and goal setting and lead team building exercises to build a strong school community.
Daily communication
Primer families have access to a dashboard that shows their child's progress over time. Teachers regularly share photos and progress updates to give families a clear window into their child’s day.
Engaging, personalized academics
Academics at Primer are self-paced. As students master concepts, they can move forward quickly. When support is needed, teachers provide one-on-one assistance to ensure that students are engaged by every lesson.
A day in the life of a Primer student
8 AM
9 AM
10 AM
11 AM
12 PM
1 PM
2 PM
3 PM
Tap on a subject to learn more!
Habit and Community Building
Habit and Community Building
We know the best learning spaces are intentionally constructed in ways that allow each child to feel uniquely known and valued. At the beginning and end of each day, students come together to check in with each other–fostering deep relationships and developing habits like mindfulness and goal setting.
Mathematics
Mathematics
Our math curriculum is designed to ensure kids foster deep mathematical knowledge and conceptual understanding. Through rigorous tasks and student discourse, students develop multiple strategies for engaging in real-world math.
Recess
Recess
Physical health is critical for student flourishing. Kids have time each day to run, jump, play and achieve their physical fitness goals.
English language arts
English language arts
We engage students with rich, authentic texts through which they grow their knowledge of the world while fostering the habits and skills of powerful readers, writers and speakers.
Passion project
Passion project
All students work on month-long, real-world passion projects throughout the year. With the guidance of a teacher, kids learn to capture their inspiration, set ambitious, measurable goals, direct their own learning, overcome challenges and deliver compelling presentations of their work and learning.
Lunch
Lunch
A break for lunch. Lunch is an opportunity for students to socialize informally with their classmates and recharge for the afternoon.
Science
Science
Our hands-on science curriculum invites kids to wonder deeply about how the world works, and engage in investigations, simulations and experiments to answer their questions. Students work with equipment and materials to develop the skills and mindsets of scientists.
Office hours
Office hours
Our goal is that all of our students are progressing in every class, everyday. Each teacher holds regular office hours multiple times per week. If a student struggles in any given lesson, their teacher will meet them in office hours to ensure they get unstuck right away.
Reinforcing learning outside of the classroom
Primer clubs
Primer clubs
Primer’s growing list of virtual clubs give students the opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities with kids around the country whenever they have completed their other tasks. For example, students write stories together in Storytellers Club, engage in friendly competition in a world-wide Science Fair, and collaborate on ambitious art projects in Artists Club.
Going live in August 2022
After running successful pilots across Miami last summer, we're responding to continuing demand from our kids, families and educators by launching full-time microschools in August 2022.
Here’s what our pilot families had to say
“This program has provided 1) quality teachers, 2) a smaller setting, 3) the ability to track and see what my child is doing throughout the day.”
“My child hates school! While experiencing the microschool, she loved going to school. We witnessed her take initiative in researching and reading about topics she was learning about. She was very sad when her course ended.”
“Excellent experience. One on one attention and fieldwork are amazing attributes of this program.”
Extraordinary educators
We empower all-star educators to launch microschools in the communities they love. Then we enable them to focus on child development by connecting them with subject-matter experts from around the world, who lead rigorous hybrid courses.
Student work
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High school students conducted research about the challenges posed by rising sea levels in South Florida surveying the environment and engaging with experts. Then they wrote and presented data-informed policy papers to city officials.
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Middle school students created asset maps of neighborhoods across Miami and presented their findings and recommendations for strengthening communities.
Application process
We think of our application process as the first step towards building a partnership between our school and your family. We aim to learn about your child’s interests, needs and goals.
We accept all students that we believe will be successful at Primer Microschools. Those students are typically growth-oriented, creative and eager to explore the world. We do not give students priority based on past grades or traditional measurements of scholastic aptitude.
We also do not give students priority based on a family’s ability to pay. We ensure that this cost is never a barrier to our schools through income-based scholarships which families of eligible students are awarded based on need. Many families will qualify for full-ride scholarships.
Complete the initial application. It takes approximately 5 minutes.
Join us for a 30-minute family interview. This will allow you to learn more about our schools, and will give us a chance to get to know your child and family.
Your child will be asked to complete and submit a creative task.
We send an acceptance letter to each child who is accepted into Primer Microschools.
Start your application
We’re opening schools across Miami in August 2022 for 3rd to 6th grade.
Fill out this form to receive an application!
Applications are evaluated for admissions and scholarships on a rolling basis.
Your submission has been received!
Questions? Concerns?
Email us at [email protected] or call/text us at (786) 305-7448
FAQ
We follow the Miami-Dade county school calendar.
Yes. All Primer Microschool students are eligible to participate in sports and other interscholastic activities at their local school. In addition, all students have full access to Primer’s virtual extra-curricular clubs and programs, such as Chess.
Your child will be eligible to join in on non-sports extracurriculars like band and theater at their local public school. They will also have full access to all the Clubs and Pursuits on Primer.
We will provide every child with a school laptop.
We don't want finances to be a barrier for anyone, so if you’re interested, please apply regardless of your financial situation (or even if you're worried about how your family can afford private school). We award income-based scholarships and work one-on-one with families who need financial assistance.