School and FACULTY INFORMATION

Middle School West (MSW) serves students in grades 6-8. Enrollment is currently 610. The school colors are blue and gold, and the mascot is the lion.

There are 48 certificated teachers, one counselor and two administrators at MSW. The average classroom experience is 10 years and 79% of the teachers have a Master's degree or beyond. In addition, there are 14 staff members who serve in the areas of food and custodial services, office support and health services.

Our Focus

The school philosophy addresses itself to the growth of the total student. The primary concern is the development of academic skills. These skills can best be achieved with self-discipline (student awareness of appropriate behavior), health development (emotional and physical growth), and concern for the students' ability to become contributing members of the society in which they live and work with special emphasis on career opportunities.

TRANSPORTATION and FACILITIES

School bus transportation is provided to students who reside over one mile (plus or minus one-tenth) from our school. To determine if your household is within this school's boundaries, please visit the Transportation Department's Bus Routes page and enter your street address using Transfinder i. Results from the search will list the school(s) for your household or show "address not found," which indicates that the address is not in the Gahanna-Jefferson Public School's boundaries. For further assistance, contact the Transportation Office at (614) 751-7581.

Middle School West is a one-story building of traditional classroom design located on a 30-acre site, which is shared with Chapelfield Elementary. It is the only Gahanna middle school housing a 600-seat auditorium. Tennis courts, football, track and softball/baseball fields are also a part of this location. All middle schools are wired for closed circuit television as well as the Internet. Each academic classroom has five computers, which are utilized as part of the instructional process.

Curriculum & Grading Scale

At the middle school level, academic courses include: language arts/reading, mathematics, science and social studies. French, German, Latin and Spanish international language courses are available to students during their eighth-grade year.

The related arts program at MSW includes: art, general music, health, home economics, physical education and technology education. Students also have the option of participating in the band, choir and strings programs offered at each grade level.

MSW offers its students a large variety of instructional materials to enhance learning. Students have daily access to library books, newspapers, magazines, computers, scanners and printers, as well as Internet access.

Special Education, Gifted Education and Pupil Services

Special Education Services are available for students with learning, speech/language, physical, developmental, emotional and multiple disabilities; the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program offers a variety of programs to appropriately meet the needs of academically gifted students; and Pupil Services provides trained expertise to meet students' individual needs in a variety of areas such as psychologists, counselors, English as a second language (ESL) and health care services. To find out more about the services offered under each of these areas, please click on the program's title.

Outstanding Programs and Services

Middle School West offers the same range of accelerated academic offerings as the other middle schools, and students in these classes often excel in higher-level classes during their high school career. The special needs students benefit from a strong inclusion program that affords them the opportunity to learn and excel in the regular classroom setting. MSW is also known for its excellence in the areas of vocal and instrumental music, and it regularly receives top awards in district music contests.

For more information about our school or to arrange a tour, please contact the school office at (614) 478-5570 during regular school hours.