By Aayan Samdani

Across America, middle school is a nearly universal experience, marking a major time of change and growth. Kids walk in basically as children and walk out older and more mature, starting to figure out who they are and what they like. The middle school experience is different for everyone. For some people, middle school sucks. Trying to make friends while also dealing with physical changes makes it something they’d never want to go back to. For others, it’s the best time of their life: playing sports, meeting new people, learning about new interests, and making memories that last.

My two younger brothers, Yousaf and Adam, are going through the struggle of middle school right now. Yousaf is finishing up his last year at Henrico County’s Tuckahoe Middle, while Adam is in 7th Grade at Collegiate. One significant difference in their experience comes from the type of school they go to. Tuckahoe is a public school; it’s much larger and more diverse, exposing Yousaf to a wide range of people and personalities. Having gone to Collegiate’s Middle School myself, I have a sense of what Adams’ experience is like, seeing the same people every day, playing Cub sports, and gradually gaining more privileges each year.

Tuckahoe Middle School. Photo credit: @tuckahoems via facebook.

While Adam’s world at Collegiate is defined by the close-knit JK-12 community, Yousaf navigates a much more expansive environment at Tuckahoe Middle. With a student body of over 1,000 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, the school acts as a massive crossroads for the surrounding community. Tuckahoe Middle draws from six different elementary schools, eventually feeding those students into three separate high schools. This creates an environment with people from all different backgrounds. The student population of Tuckahoe Middle during the 2024-2025 school year was 56.6% white, and 19.7 Hispanic, 13.5% Black, 4.7% Asian, and 5.4% other races, offering a more diverse demographic than Collegiate.

Beyond the demographics of each school, the actual structure of their school days creates a different routine for them. At Collegiate, the schedule is built around Green and Gold weeks. Each day of each week has a set schedule that changes depending on the week. This type of schedule offers a less repetitive day compared to other schools. On the other hand, Tuckahoe Middle follows a Day 1/Day 2 rotation that flips every day. Both days start with homeroom, and the rest of the classes follow depending on the day. One of the reasons that Tuckahoe Middle keeps a stricter and more routine schedule than Collegiate is that they have over twice as many students. 

Collegiate’s Middle School Reed-Gumenick Library. Photo courtesy of Collegiate School.

Despite the differences between each school, both Yousaf and Adam have found a way to navigate the chaos of their middle school years. They both take a certain amount of pride in where they go, poking fun at each other’s schools.

Middle school is a journey everyone has to go through, whether they enjoy it or not, and after hearing about my brothers’ experiences, I’ve realized that the core of the experience hasn’t changed. Hearing them talk about their funny moments and their setbacks reminded me a lot of my middle school days. This made me realize that no matter which school you go to, you can find the classic middle school experience anywhere.