CRMS history Chestnut Ridge and her twin sister school, Orchard Valley, opened in November of 1989. Over the years, the populations of both schools have increased and declined with the growth of the community and the eventual opening of Bunker Hill Middle School. However, there has always been one major focus, the preservation of the middle school method of delivering instruction. Students and teachers are clustered in teams of anywhere from 75 to 125 students and three, four or five teachers. The team becomes a microcosm of a larger society.
Students move about their academic day among the same three, four or five teachers.
They have common physical education, exploratory arts and lunch periods. The team teachers are the support system for their students. In sixth grade, the teachers help acclimate their students to the middle school. In seventh and eighth grades, teachers continue to foster the small group environment within a large super structure. Enrichment and gifted programs include Humanities in grades six, seven and eight, Pre-Algebra in grade seven, Algebra and Advanced Science in grade eight.