At Discovery Academy, Grade 9 starts in Grado 7
The middle school years decide how your child walks into high school. Confident and ready — or with gaps. At Discovery Academy, we assess exactly where your child stands, close the gaps, challenge the ones already ahead, and make the transition into Grade 9 a positive one.
- Individual attention
- Mentorship
- 20 years in Richmond Hill
What happens between Grade 5 and Grade 8 sticks. These are the four that matter most.
Math doesn't get easier in Grade 9. Make sure they're ready now.
A Grade 8 shaky on fractions or algebra will struggle in Grade 9 — and that struggle decides which universities open later. We tell you where they stand. We close the gap.
Strong students don't need easier work. They need to be challenged.
A bright Grade 7 in a class of 30 spends most of the year waiting. At DA, they don’t. Deeper math, harder writing, real arguments to defend. Strong students become stronger here.
Phones won. It doesn't have to stay that way.
We don’t lecture about screen time — you’ve already tried that. We compete by being more interesting than the phone. No phones in class. A culture where kids talk to each other in person.
Marks aren't enough. Life skills matter just as much.
Patience. Calm under pressure. Gratitude. Goal-setting they own themselves. We practise these every day — not as an extra program, but as how the school runs.
Grade 9 isn't a fresh start. It's a verdict.
By Grade 9, the gap between ready and not ready is locked in. We don’t wait to find out — we prepare them in Grade 7 and 8, so the leap is just another step.
The gap doesn’t show on a Grade 8 report card. It shows on the first Grade 9 unit test.
Grade 9 math assumes your child arrives with fluency in fractions, ratios, integers, and basic algebraic manipulation. Public Grade 7 and 8 mostly review and rarely stress-test these.
Most Grade 8 students can solve 3/4 + 1/2 if given time. Very few can solve x/4 + x/2 = 3 without hesitation. Grade 9 assumes they can. That gap — between procedure and fluency — is what decides first-term Grade 9 marks.
- Structured diagnostic on intake — we identify the specific gaps.
- Daily mental math at Grade 7 and 8 — fluency, not just procedure.
- Algebraic thinking introduced systematically from Grade 5.
- Writing diagnosed and built alongside — paragraph structure, thesis, argument.
DA proprietary middle-school materials — built in-house, because off-the-shelf curriculum doesn’t push kids two years ahead.
We give a diagnosis — and the steps to close every gap.
Every incoming Gr 5–8 student receives a structured academic assessment. We don’t grade it. We use it to tell you, in plain language, exactly where your child is and what we’d do about it.
Matemáticas
Fluency, not just correctness. Mental math, fractions, integers, algebraic thinking.
Writing
Paragraph structure, argument, spelling, handwriting.
Reading
Comprehension, fluency, vocabulary.
Study habits
Organisation, persistence, attention.
By 12, the way they handle pressure starts to lock in.
How a student handles hard work, setbacks, and pressure at this age becomes how they handle it at 18. We don’t leave that to chance. Breathing, gratitude, growth mindset, goal-setting — taught as skills, practised every day, not as occasional lectures or wellness assemblies.
We don’t call it wellness. We don’t call it therapy. We call it what it is: skills your child uses for the rest of their life.
Breathing
To settle before a test, a presentation, or a hard conversation.
Box breath, 4·4·4·4, before every quiz.
Gratitude
Daily, structured — not performative.
Three short notes at the end of the day.
Growth mindset
How to read a wrong answer as information, not failure.
“Yet” journals and error logs in math.
Goal-setting
Students set their own goals and track their own progress.
Monday goal · Friday review · own the week.
Teachers who know your child — and are willing to help.
Every teacher at DA is hand-picked by our founder, Dr. Marina Blumin. Masters and PhD-level credentials, or university graduates who have mastered the subject they teach. Patience, multiple ways of explaining an idea, and smart use of technology are requirements — not extras.
- Masters, PhD, and subject-specialist university graduates.
- Patient, methodical, willing to re-teach a concept in three different ways.
- Extra help built into the week — not an afterthought.
- IEP accommodations attended to directly by teachers and academic leadership.
Learn more about the school
Grades 5–8 · Richmond Hill
Un día hábil. Sin lista de correo.
Know exactly where your child stands.
A tour runs 30–45 minutes. You’ll watch a real Grade 5–8 classroom and meet the teacher who would be your child’s.
If you want to know more about prices, schedules, or ask any questions, just fill out the form. You can also book a school tour. A tour runs 30–45 minutes. You’ll watch a real Grade 5–8 classroom and meet the teacher who would be your child’s. No obligations or payment upfront.
Dr. Marina Blumin
Dr. Marina Blumin founded Discovery Academy on one principle: improve the student’s knowledge and the marks follow. She spent 20 years at the University of Toronto and has taught mathematics for more than 40 years. Every teacher on our staff is selected by her. Every student’s progress is her concern.
Forty years of teaching math — built into your child's classroom.
Develops inter-subject courses that teach students to investigate, discover, and understand. That’s how real interest in math and science begins.
- 20 years at the University of Toronto.
- 40+ years teaching mathematics.
- Known across the GTA for teaching Grades 9–12 math in a way students actually understand.
The specifics parents ask first.
Depending on program. Payment plans available.
Drop-off from 8:30 AM.
Homework help, clubs, included in tuition.
Subject-specialist teacher in every class.
Attended to by teachers and academic leadership.
Founded in 2006 in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
What Gr 5–8 parents ask most often.
Don’t see your question? Ask it on the assessment — that’s what it’s for.
Is the academic assessment a test my child needs to study for?
No. It’s a diagnostic, not an entrance exam. We want to see where your child actually stands — not a prepared performance.
My child is in Grade 8. Is it too late to transfer?
It’s tight but not too late. The earlier we see your child, the more gap we can close before Grade 9. Book an assessment first.
What’s the phone policy?
Phones are not used during class time. We don’t confiscate — we set the expectation and we hold it. The culture of the school makes it easier than parents expect.
How does mentorship actually work?
Small classes make it structural. Teachers know every student. Older students mentor younger ones through shared activities, trips, and everyday school life — not a formal scheme.
What about high school after Grade 8?
Most of our Grade 8 students continue into DA Grade 9. If you’re considering another high school, we’ll help you prepare – honestly – for that transition too.
My child has specific learning needs. Can DA accommodate?
Yes. IEP accommodations are attended to directly by classroom teachers and academic leadership. Small classes make real individualisation possible.
What do you report to parents?
Every incoming student gets a diagnostic report. Ongoing, we report specifics — not just letter grades. If your child is falling behind, you hear from us before the report card.
Won't being two grades ahead burn my child out?
No — because we don’t accelerate by piling on volume. We teach harder material more deeply, with smaller classes and more support. Strong students find it engaging, not exhausting.
Know exactly where your child stands.
A tour runs 30–45 minutes. You’ll watch a real Grade 5–8 classroom and meet the teacher who would be your child’s.
If you want to know more about prices, schedules, or ask any questions, just fill out the form. You can also book a school tour. A tour runs 30–45 minutes. You’ll watch a real Grade 5–8 classroom and meet the teacher who would be your child’s. No obligations or payment upfront.
Learn more about the school
Grades 5–8 · Richmond Hill
Un día hábil. Sin lista de correo.