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Specialty Programs

IB Middle Years Programme

IBMYP logo

The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) offers a challenging, comprehensive, academic program for middle school students. The program connects the subject areas of language arts, humanities, mathematics, science, world language, technology, arts, and physical education through six Global Contexts. The goal of all the IB programs is to develop active, lifelong learners: students who have the knowledge, abilities, and skills to function independently and collaboratively, to be reflective and to take appropriate action.

Information Sessions

Specialty Program information nights are held in the fall and offer an overview of each program and the application process. Program-specific information nights are held at each middle school.

Family Engagement Series Webinar

School-Based Information Sessions

    • October 19, 2026, 6 p.m. at Hampton Middle School lecture hall

    • January 11, 2027, 6 p.m. on Zoom


Program Features

The IB MYP, particularly, encourages students to:

  • Understand connections across subjects and to the world
  • Become critical and reflective thinkers
  • Develop a strong sense of self-awareness and identity

The IB MYP curriculum is an international framework of objectives that are standard to all IB MYP schools throughout the world. In 2014, the objectives were slightly revised to better link the IB MYP with the IBDP (Diploma Programme).

Students acquire and are assessed on skills and content knowledge in eight subject areas in every year of the program.

Application Information

Who can apply?

Applications for this program are open for rising 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.

Students zoned to George M. Hampton Middle School will not see GHMS listed as an application option because they are automatically eligible to attend the IB MYP program at their zoned school.

Transfer Student Requirements

To ensure all students are on track for graduation, transfer students must meet the following criteria:

  • Academically Positioned to Graduate on Time
    • Students should be in good academic standing, meaning they are passing all classes.
  • Good Attendance Standing
    • Students must not be chronically absent (defined as missing 10% or more of school days).
  • Good Discipline Standing
    • No discipline record in the past 12 months for fighting, vaping, disrespect/classroom disruption, or vandalism.
    • No discipline record ever for assault/battery, sexual assault or harassment, arson, weapons, or drugs/alcohol.

When to apply?

Specialty program applications will be accepted November 2, 2026 - February 1, 2027.

How to apply?

Visit the Specialty Programs Application Process website to learn more about the application process.

Attendance Areas

Benton MS, Graham Park MS, Hampton MS, and Potomac MS

Who to Contact?

More information

Complaints Procedure

Click here for more information.

Hampton Middle School: An IB World School since 2002

The IB MYP curriculum is an international framework of objectives that are standard to all IB MYP schools throughout the world. In 2014, the objectives were slightly revised to better link the IB MYP with the IBDP (Diploma Programme).

Students acquire and are assessed on skills and content knowledge in eight subject areas in every year of the program.

Students study state and county course content in eight subject areas. The eight IB MYP subject areas at GHMS courses are:

Approaches to Learning (ATL) Skills

Approaches to learning skills are strategies and techniques that are applicable across the curriculum. ATL skills focus on the process of learning, helping students to become confident, independent, self-managed learners for life. Teachers explicitly teach the skills through structured opportunities, and students reflect on the development of these skills.

ATL Skills Categories

Communication
  • Exchanging thoughts, messages and information effectively through interaction
  • Reading, writing and using language to gather and communicate information.
Social
  • Working effectively with others.
Self-Management
  • Managing time and tasks effectively
  • Managing state of mind
  • Reconsidering the process of learning
Research
  • Finding, interpreting, judging, and creating information
  • Interacting with media to use and create ideas and information
Thinking
  • Analyzing and evaluating issues and ideas
  • Generating novel ideas and considering new perspectives
  • Utilizing skills and knowledge in multiple contexts