Nevin Platt Middle School

I went to Platt and am now a junior in high school. The teachers are OK but some of them are either just really crabby, which doesn't create a good learning environment for developing kids. Others run their classes very mechanically and by-the-book, with about the same level of enthusiasm as a worker at the DMV (which again, doesn't exactly foster an encouraging learning environment). Aside from that, some stuff went down but basically I ended up getting bullied by this guy and his group of friends. I should also mention I have depression/OCD/ADHD, the whole package. So the bullying really took a toll on my depression. I went to the counselors for help, and they basically said to just try and avoid them. One of them no longer works there, so that's good. But the other one (who admittedly wasn't as bad) is still there. The principal and vice principal ended up having to get involved when I hit a kid in the gut (he was bullying me and my depression had gotten it to the point where I couldn't take it anymore), and they focused solely on the fact that I hit a kid and not on the root cause. I ended up switching schools the next year. I don't know how much the culture and staff has improved since then, but if you're a parent with a kid on their way to middle school I strongly encourage you to look at some other reviews of Platt before making a decision. (Manhattan Middle School might seem too artsy and give the impression they don't focus on academics, but they're actually a good school with a great counseling department and accepting culture; I'm biased because I went there but you should consider them.)

Awful. My child’s school experience at Platt was traumatic and left many deep scars.

Pretty much horrible. Open enroll if this is your neighborhood school. Try Summit, Southern Hills, Manhattan. Unless you have a kid who can sail through and never need support from counseling or administration, steer clear. Great Music program, some good teachers, but at this age, bullying, drugs, peer conflict is huge, and without support it is a rough ride for the entire family.

They try to make it seem liken they are making it such a big deal to end bullying, but when put in a situation to actually deal with a bully, they rather make an announcement to the whole school instead of dealing with the bullying head on.