Keep in mind a proper solder station has things like fume extraction, hazard waste disposal, anti-static pads, etc. etc. In short, I can think of reasons why a proper station is not practical for a given middle school.

But I definitely agree with your breadboarding point and overall sentiment. In college I recall a series of labs that built a fairly workable 4-bit computer on breadboards. They're very workable, even preferable, for the right type of circuit/project.