Essential Skills is a semester course that is offered to seventh grade students who need further exploration of Language Arts and Mathematics material. This course focuses on the individual needs of the students and their progress is the driving force behind instructional planning.

At the beginning of the course the students complete a pre-test, which allows the teacher to identify the specific areas of need in the subjects of Language Arts and Mathematics. This course focuses developing the skill set of the individual student. One-on-one instruction is often available in this course, which allows each students to improve in the necessary areas. The instructor works to tailor the course to the student needs and strives for student growth during the semester.