Consistency and exploration guide education at the grades 5-8 Swampscott Middle School. Each day students get instruction from their team of core subject teachers. Students also study art. music and physical education through the school's exploratory program.

 While many Commonwealth schools, squeezed by budget constraints, have dropped exploratory programs, Swampscott  has maintained its "specialty block," an hour each day. School-year highlights include class trips. The school also has a sister-school relationship with middle schoolers in Cape Town, South Africa.