If a school asks for middle school grades, and my 6th grade grades aren’t very good, is it a big negative on my application? By bad grades I mean Cs and Bs. My 7th and 8th grade years are much better with mostly As.
No. It shows serious improvement and progress. If your scores are good and your extracurriculars are compelling I think 6th grade is a non issue
They are evaluating the person you are now, now who you were 2 years ago. Would it be better if you’d had As in 6th? Probably. Can you do anything about it now? Nope. If you addressed it in an essay or interview, it could help, but at this point, don’t sweat it - the direction of the change is the one you want to show.
Thanks for your help @Center and @gardenstategal!