Shue-Medill Middle School

It was a horrible experience watching my child turn from an interested learner to a withdrawn child in a matter of 3 months.

Okay, My son was forced into a situation where he had to defend himself and was penalized academically. The student admitted to starting it and I do not think it was handled fairly.

Our sons attended Shue-Medill in 7th and 8th grade, after having attended a small private school. Their experience has been excellent, both socially and academically. They take core classes in the highest honors ("Cambridge") program. This has been engaging and challenging; they have really liked almost all of their teachers, and we have found the teachers to be very responsive to parent inquiries, concerns, etc. Socially they have found the school to be very inclusive and to offer a range of clubs and other activities that have provided meaningful extracurricular experiences, especially leadership opportunities. The band director is fantastic. The principal and her support staff are energetic and willing to try a range of things to support their diverse student body. I am pleased by the experience Shue has offered to my children and happy that we chose to send them there. They seem well prepared for high school and have friends from a broader variety of family and cultural backgrounds than they did at their smaller school (which was also a very good experience, just different from this one).

My son just completed middle school at Shue and my daughter will start there in the fall. He had a great experience and my daughter is excited to start. They have varying levels of academics and a nice offering of sports, clubs and extra curricular activities. Most of the teachers seem caring, fair and pretty connected to the kids. The administration is great. They respond to issues swiftly and fairly. Don't fool yourself, any large middle school will experience some behavioral problems.The principal, Ms Savage works hard to create an inclusive environment and get families involved. It's really a friendly, positive place.If you're hearing negative things about Shue, do a quick sanity/logic test. Does the person who is talking have children who go there or have gone there recently? Usually not. Don't believe third hand stories. They aren't always accurate or recent. Make an informed choice. Talk to parents of current students or come visit the school for yourself. Shue has far exceeded my expectations, which I admit were initially low based on gossip and test scores. It's all skewed. I can speak from experience. My kids are making friends, getting a well rounded education, and are safe. They go to school in their community, where they live, in an inclusive environment. I'm glad I didn't run scared before I gave Shue a chance.