Millstone Scholars

The Millstone Scholars Program is a unique opportunity for middle school students to study the great ideas and leaders of Jewish and Western civilization, Zionism, and the heroic story of modern Israel. Students will meet in their local cohorts for weekly in-person seminars guided by exceptional teachers. Designed for students in public or secular private schools, Millstone Scholars engage in a one-year sequence of an in-person core seminar combined with special programming including field trips, national debates, writing contests, and educational family events.

Millstone Scholars is a national honors program, with regional clusters around the country. In an era of declining Jewish identity and rising anti-Semitism, the Millstone Scholars Program aims to create confident and knowledgeable Jewish leaders of the future.

The Millstone Scholars Program is tailored for 7th and 8th grade students from public or secular private schools. With active cohorts nationwide, we’re expanding for the upcoming school year. Each regional cohort is limited to 15 select students.

Yes. Millstone Scholars tuition is $845 for the school year which includes physical copies of the course books. Tuition can be paid in full or in installments throughout the year.

Apply by June 30th for early bird pricing – $50 off tuition.

The Millstone Scholars Program has a generous financial aid policy — for those in need of financial assistance, please email millstonescholars@tikvah.org.

Typically, students don’t have the opportunity to learn about the great ideas and contributions of Judaism when getting ready to read their Torah portion and give a speech. The Millstone Scholars program allows them to join students across the country in delving into key Jewish ideas while studying for Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and in staying engaged with their Jewish identities in a serious way just after their Bar/Bat Mitzvah, which is when most students end up leaving Jewish life. Millstone keeps middle schoolers involved and prepares them to be on high school and college campuses as confident young Jews.

Over the course of the 8 month academic year, students will convene in-person once per week for 75 minutes. Students are expected to read the material before class to engage in the dynamic class discussion. We estimate prep reading to be 30-40 minutes.

All supplementary activities (Millstone National Debate, Field Trips, etc) are conducted outside of these weekly gatherings. They are not mandatory, though we strongly encourage students to attend as they significantly bolster the Millstone experience!

Millstone programs are typically hosted at local Jewish community spaces. Some cohorts are hosted in private homes.

The program runs according to the academic year. The program starts towards the beginning of the school year and ends in May/June.

Tikvah’s Jewish Parents Forum offers various opportunities and resources for parents who want to be involved in their children’s and their own continued Jewish education. Tikvah also offers podcasts, newsletters and other adult learning opportunities.

Yes! We we host 3 national debates on Zoom which has been a highlight for many students. This is an opportunity for students to connect with peers in other cohorts while developing the skills of debate, reasoning and public speaking.

We also typically host 1-2 NYC-based field trips and continue to explore additional opportunities for our students to meet outside of the classroom.

• Applications for the 2026-2027 academic year open on April 15, 2026.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
• Student Orientation is on September 23rd.
• The program begins on the week of October 18, 2026