Rippowam Middle School

The teachers are amazing. I made some friends which is great. However, there are so many out of control kids that constantly make me not want to go here because most of class is disrupted by them. Great potential if those kids were under control or out of school. -7th grade student

This school has improved during the last 3 years but there is still so much work to be done. The principal says that his main priority are the kids but when it comes to making exceptions only the kids whose parents are part of PTO fit the description. I have witnessed that the teacher's needs get fulfilled before the children's. I liked how they handled the situation when my daughter was bullied but it is unfortunate that so many kids have a very bad attitude towards the school. There is a handful of teachers that are exceptional and well respected by the kids. The other teachers don't either know how to handle some of them or just show up for a pay check. I guess this is what you get when they get paid by the taxpayers....mediocrity

Our daughter has attended there since 6th grade. When she first began she could not wait to get to school and thought it was marvelous. Now in 7th grade and a bit more of the "teen" thing happening, not so enthusiastic; however she still loves the school, most of the teachers, and her social groups. As a review thus from being an educator myself, I can see the school has tremendous potential to become greater than they actually think they are now. The new principals, in my opinion, are excellent and work well together, and they insist on a nurturing and fair educational environment that truly cares for the children and teenagers who attend. From what I have seen about 70 % of the teachers follow their lead; some others lag behind with a somewhat tenured and lower level of enthusiasm that is common for public school. However when you walk into the place the general feel of the school is upbeat, enthusiastic and supportive, and I have seen them project this to the students, encouraging them to be AND act their best at all times. I give 3 stars for the educational experience and raise it to 4 stars because of the caring and enthusiasm.

When you overhear the current principal and assistant principal making fun of and laughing at their staff, it makes you wonder about what kind of hostile and toxic environment teachers here must deal with on a day to day basis. It is honestly disappointing to see such behavior from school administrators, who SHOULD act professionally and treat their staff in the same manner in which they demand teachers to their own students: with kindness and respect.