Middle school (defined here as grades seven and eight) is a bridge between elementary school and high school. Under the homeschool law, it is part of secondary education.
Spiral Learning?
Much of the content covered in middle school has been covered in elementary school, but is reviewed in more detail. This can be a good opportunity to catch up on any areas where a student might be struggling. For areas where students are excelling, this also allows you to move forward and tackle the material at a high school level (since many of the same areas will be covered again in high school). Homeschooling author Mary Pride takes this a step further by suggesting you may want to skip junior high school completely. Mary pointed out that the curriculum for junior high has almost total overlap with senior high.
Character Development & Independence
Middle school is a great time to work on character development, giving your student an important foundation for high school and beyond. There is curriculum that can be used for character development, and biographies can be a great resource.
Developing independence in school work is important in middle school. Giving them more ownership over curriculum choices will help them to mature and increase their interest. As they show themselves to be responsible, give them more responsibility and flexibility. A focus on study skills, research skills, and presentation skills will prepare them for high school.