Remember when you were in elementary school, how everything was academic-based except for one "elective" such as PE or art? As we go into middle school, that starts to change. This is when the importance of school and the value of subjects such as math and science start to slide. By the end of middle school, we are pulled in other directions, and the importance of sports has caught up with mathematics and science. By the beginning of high school, they can supersede it.