The East Bay School for Boys has established middle school graduation criteria they believe integral to a young man becoming a citizen of the 21st century. The list below shows a cross section of projects, assignments, and experiences to highlight the depth of the curriculum and the focus of the school.

By the time he graduates, each EBSB student will have:

• Conducted a conversation in a foreign language about something that he has read in that language;

• Written a cogent persuasive piece on a matter of personal importance;

• Analyzed a meaningful passage of another’s writing and declaimed it with passion and from memory;

• Disassembled, diagrammed, rebuilt, and written instructions for something electrical or mechanical; 

• Sowed, grown, harvested, and eaten his own vegetable;

• Solved a challenging problem in a team;

• Taken a leadership role in a project, event or activity of significance;

• By performing the appropriate research, determined whether a statement by a public official is true;

• Examined and acknowledged his own learning strengths and weaknesses and set personal learning goals;

• Assessed media coverage of an issue or event from various perspectives;

• Held and cared for a newborn baby;

• Demonstrated by something measurable a commitment to creating a more sustainable future;

• Collaborated in a community-oriented, project-based internship experience;

• Conducted a scientific experiment, collected and recorded empirical data, and produced a written summary of the results with sound scientific conclusions;

• Participated in a physical team competition;

• Mentored another boy in something in which he feels confident; and

• Produced or performed a work of art.

These graduation standards stem from a presentation by Pat Basset, President of the National Association of Independent Schools.