Central to IVA’s educational mission and vision is a one-hour Advisory period, during which students explore their growth in intellectual virtues under the guidance of an Advisor. In many schools, advisory time is for finishing homework and chatting about personal interests unrelated to thinking or learning. At IVA, the goal of the advisory program is to help students grow as thinkers — to help students grow in our nine master virtues. Students are given weekly opportunities to practice thinking about things they are naturally curious about — things they’d like to learn and talk about. There are no grades, no tests, and no real homework in Advisory. Rather, students get to decide the sorts of things they will talk about. It’s a time for intellectual exploration and adventure, led by staff and volunteer advisors who undergo an application and training process and are selected by the principal.

FAQs Archive - IVA Middle

What will the transition be like from IVA to a high school?

IVAMiddle2025-07-31T14:01:09-07:00

IVA’s curriculum is rigorous. The culture of thinking, combined with the language of intellectual virtues, encourages our students to define themselves by their ability to grow and learn. Our students will [...]

Where can I learn more about the intellectual virtues?

IVAMiddle2025-07-31T14:00:48-07:00

An overwhelming amount of recent research in education, economics, neuroscience, and other fields underscores that success in life and school does not come from intelligence alone. Rather, success also comes [...]

Can my student transfer to IVA from any LBUSD school and back again?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:53:17-07:00

Yes, the overwhelming majority of IVA students come here after promoting from an LBUSD elementary school and then head back to an LBUSD high school after promotion. While IVA students [...]

Will my child really fit in at this school?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:37:37-07:00

Every student is in a different place when it comes to the possession of intellectual virtues. While one student might be very patient when solving a difficult math problem, another [...]

Is there before and after-school care?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:36:49-07:00

Yes, we provide free before and after school care to all students. IVA's gate opens daily at 7:30am for supervised playtime before the school day begins at 8:20. We also [...]

What about extracurricular activities?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:31:06-07:00

We learn about ourselves through sports, music, art, drama, and related extracurricular programs, and we believe such activities are extremely worthwhile pursuits. IVA participates in the district wide Middle School [...]

What are Advisories?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:25:07-07:00

Central to IVA’s educational mission and vision is a one-hour Advisory period, during which students explore their growth in intellectual virtues under the guidance of an Advisor. In many schools, [...]

What electives do you offer?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:23:14-07:00

We are committed to offering creative and formative exploration courses (aka "Electives"). Students take 6 classes a semester including LitComp, Social Science, Math, Science, Physical Education and an exploration course. [...]

What does the school calendar like?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:20:31-07:00

IVA's in-person school day is scheduled from 8:20am to 3:04pm, with early release at 1pm on Thursdays. Our Annual Academic Calendar is aligned to the Long Beach Unified School District [...]

What does a typical day look like?

IVAMiddle2025-08-05T15:17:55-07:00

IVA implements "block scheduling" so that students daily alternate attending 3 of their 6 classes. Classes include LitComp, Social Science, Math, Science, Physical Education and an exploration course (aka "Elective"). [...]