The Christa McAuliffe Charter School is an eighteen-year-old credentialed EL Education school for 400 scholars in grades 6-8 with a hands-on curriculum that inspires achievement through active learning, character growth, and teamwork. At McAuliffe, students take ownership of their learning, guided by creative, passionate adults who adeptly navigate the ever-present balancing act of challenge and support. A spirit of adventure pervades the school, and the energy is seemingly boundless. McAuliffe is the rare middle school where it really is ok to be yourself. The community values independence and individuality while practicing collaboration, inclusivity, and acceptance. The mission of the Christa McAuliffe Charter School (McAuliffe) is to cultivate within each member of a diverse student body, through the expeditionary learning design, an intense commitment to self and community, the courage and insight to set high standards for academic and personal success, and the knowledge skills, and attitudes to achieve those standards. EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) is a national school reform organization operating in 165 schools in 30 states and reaching over 45,000 students. EL partners with schools to improve student achievement through an inquiry and project-based approach. EL schools inspire the motivation to learn, engage teachers and students in new levels of focus and effort, and transform schools into places where students and adults become leaders of their own learning.