Middle School
Our Middle School Program at a Glance
“I liked it better than most of my other classes and it was not a huge deal to complete the work.”
Need a flexible, accredited U.S. history course that works anywhere in the world?
U.S. History for Expats provides accredited middle school history courses designed specifically for internationally mobile families, homeschool students, and children attending international schools. Learn from licensed teachers, receive personalized feedback, and earn an official transcript—all on a flexible schedule that fits your family's life.
Created by educators who understand international families. Every lesson has been developed by licensed Virginia educators with more than 20 years of experience teaching in international schools around the world.
Each course aligns with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) and is taught through Google Classroom on a flexible schedule that accommodates international school calendars and family travel.
How Our Courses Work
Students begin with a short Orientation Unit before completing nine instructional units. Each unit includes:
Introductory Activity and MLA Style Lesson
Unit Organizer
Midpoint Check-In
Project-Based Learning Assignment
Throughout the course, students receive personalized feedback from a licensed teacher, and all major assignments are assessed using detailed rubrics.
More Than History
In addition to learning history, students develop skills that are often not explicitly taught in many international schools, including historical research, note-taking, MLA formatting, project planning, and critical thinking. Each unit also includes an optional AI Extension Activity for students who want to explore the material more deeply.
Designed for International Families
Accredited curriculum aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning
Flexible schedule that accommodates international school calendars
Google Classroom learning platform
Personalized teacher feedback
Project-based learning
Eligible for the Supplemental Instructional Allowance (SIA) for qualifying families
“It is useful and if you move back to the US you are going to need it.”
Three Great Options for U.S History I
Accredited Course
$1,499
Teacher feedback
All assignments
Final projects
Accredited transcript
Narrative reports
Approximately 9 months
Designed for students who need a transcript or school credit
Enrichment Course
$749
Same instructional content
Same quizzes and unit assessments
No required projects
No accreditation or transcript
Teacher support and narrative reports
Designed for students who simply want to learn U.S. history without the grading requirements
Summer Start
Free Trial
Orientation
First two units of accredited course
Eligible for accredited transcript
Decide on September 1, 2026 if you want your child to continue with accredited or enrichment course
Designed for students who want to try it out before fully committing to the full course
Our 2026-2027
Middle School Offerings
Ideal for students with little formal U.S. History education.
(Grades 5-6 or any student with no/little U.S. History)
Ideal for students with a good background in early American History.
(Students that have completed U.S. History I or similar course)
Ideal for students that want to learn about the U.S. government, citizenship, and economics
(Students that have completed U.S.I & U.S. History II or Grade 8)
Join our 2026-2027 Waitlist
Students and Parents are impressed with our program.
“I would absolutely recommend this course to other Americans living outside the U.S.”
“Thank you very much for all the hard work and effort that went into development of this course -- as well as the continuous monitoring and feedback that was provided to my child throughout the year!”
“I liked it better than most of my other classes and it was not a huge deal to complete the work.”
“It's clear and easy to understand.”
“It's the perfect solution.”
“I no longer find history boring, I enjoy the projects, the material is clearly presented and I like the individual feedback I get on the assignments I turn in.”
“This course is very informative for those who are not very well educated in U.S. history and need more.”
“Without this course, my child would have missed receiving a systematic, comprehensive survey of U.S. history and would not have had the same opportunity as her peers in the U.S. to delve into the broader arc of our nation's complex story.”
“I would strongly recommend this course to other Americans living outside the United States. I found the course was well organized and engaging for students.”
“It is useful and if you move back to the US you are going to need it.”
“This class also broadened their understanding of major events that they've always heard about, but now they know specific details with a deeper understanding of why they happened and the impact it had on history.”
“I really appreciated Dr. Blakeney's prompt and thorough feedback for my child's work.”
WE MAKE REMOTE U.S. HISTORY EDUCATION FUN
Stay on Pace with Peers
Almost every student in the United States takes U.S. History during middle school and high school. In Virginia, students take U.S. History I, U.S. History II, and Civics and Economics from grades 6 to 8 and U.S. history twice in high school. We use the same model to ensure your child will be on pace with peers back home.
Skills that will last a Lifetime
We created a skills section in each unit to ensure your child can use those skills in other classes and the rest of their life. In addition, our program uses the same skills needed to succeed on IB, AP, and standardized tests using a grade appropriate level of inquiry.
Not just a History Course
We have designed each course to do more than cover the Virginia Standard of Learning, Your child will learn skills most schools just don’t have time to do correctly such as website analysis, historical writing in MLA format, interpreting data and geography skills.
Feedback and Communication
From the moment you join us, we will be in contact. Your child will get formative feedback throughout each unit via written comments. We will send a progress report at the end of each unit to you and your child. Some plans include additional contact such as conferences and a recommendation letter.
Rigorous, yet Fun
Every lesson is designed not only to teach content but also make sure your child is engaged and having fun. At the end of each unit, your child will have a choice of projects to show learning rather than nothing or multiple choice or essay test.
Self-paced
Whether you want your child to work on the content throughout the entire school year or during breaks, our self-paced classes allow total freedom. In addition, your child can work on specific units or even parts of units with other students from around the world. How cool is that?
#1 Question from Parents:
What makes you different from other options?
Experience in the classroom
Feedback
Accreditation
Each Middle School Unit has five parts
Unit Introduction
Students will watch a short video then complete a fun activity to “hook” them into the unit. This might include watching a clip from SharkTank (Industrialization Unit) writing a conversation of a first encounter with aliens (European Exploration Unit).
MLA style
Throughout the course students will learn one facet of MLA Format starting with plagiarism and ending with a fully formatted MLA Paper. In between, students apply the knowledge they learn in this section in their Final Projects.
Unit Organizer
This is the content section of each unit. Students will participate in a variety of activities to learn the content. This includes self-produced videos, activities and some resources we’ve pulled from the Internet.
Midpoint Check-In
Students will complete a short formative assessment to ensure they have learned and understand the material.
Final Project
Students will use their creativity to create a Final Project showcasing their knowledge of the unit using MLA Style.
Some examples include:
How can you, as an archeologist, present the Smithsonian Museum of American Indians a new exhibit on newly found Native American artifacts? (US I)
How can you, as the Commissioner of New York City’s Commission on Workplace Safety, redesign the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory for increased safety? (US II)
How can you, as an attorney for a student, successfully argue in the Supreme Court a student’s 1st, 4th, and 14th Amendments rights were violated after being suspended for wearing a t-shirt to a final exam stating “I’m cheating right now!”? (Civics & Economics)
Take Advantage of the Supplemental Instruction Allowance
Before signing up (optional):
If you have not already checked with your FMO or other authorizing officer, please check to make sure you are eligible to get reimbursed. This is a FMO Letter from U.S. History for Expats explaining the program, pedagogy behind our program, and benefit of taking any of our classes.
After signing up:
Print out or save our invoice. It will be emailed upon registration.
Fill out a letter for your FMO. We will send this to you within three business days of registration.
Send both the invoice and letter to your FMO.
After communicating with your FMO:
You will need to to fill out the SF-1190. This is the same form filled out for other education allowances. Here are the SF-1190 Instructions
SF-1190 SF-1190 PDF