Paloma Plan in Bellflower by Tri Pointe Homes
Charlotte, NC 28226

My child attended 6th-8th grades at Carmel. All 3 years were met with disappointment for multiple reasons. Upper administration is terrible. They don't respond to email, messages or requests directly from a student for assistance (for the student directly or their parent needing assistance). Teacher turnover is high, with many classes being taught by long term subs for weeks to months. Also my child had teachers not fully licensed who had no business teaching at the middle school level. The haves bully, embarras, cut down, judge and demean the have nots. A group of kids (same ones year to year) distracted multiple different subjects all 3 years. Often the same kids who bullied others. There are no consequences for the problem kids. They protect the kids who come from affluent and locally known families. They don't want parent involvement unless it is financial support, helping to run the student store, EOG proctors, or buying things for teacher support week. They don't want you checking up on your child's learning or trying to deal with issues outside normal middle school issues. Administration delegates everything to other people with a constant lack of follow up. I heard "I didn't know you were waiting on a response/follow up from me, I thought someone else was dealing with that, I never saw your email/got the message, or I thought that was dealt with/no longer an issue" multiple times throughout the 3 years my child attended. Continual excuses. The morning drop-off is a pain but the afternoon pick-up is a nightmare. If your child had a good experience at Carmel consider yourself (and them) lucky.

This is a great school, and the teachers and principal seem to be extremely involved in effective results delivery. The parents are also very active. We have a first grader, and he is learning more things than I did in 5th or 6th grade. And he loves going to school most of the time. He is not as infatuated with his teacher this year, but it is her first year in the school and may take some adjusting. I attended on of the coffee with the principal meetings which was focused more on testing, however it was a very open forum with lots of access. The students put together a wonderful International program featuring all nationalities in which students were ethnically engaged. Academic achievements are emphasized, but so is the expectation of the kids, so the testing should not be intimidating. However, a lot of attention is placed on it, so I can't see how it wouldn't be. Fortunately, our boy is very smart, although stubborn, and sometimes knows more than the teacher or his parents. We are adoptive parents and much older, so when he challenges a man with three degrees, including a Ph.D., it is eye-opening. I think it might be hard for a less fortunate or challenged young boy or girl. The teacher does have the class work together daily for some time with students of equal levels, so I found that a good method of keeping things moving is not just focused on the more or less advantaged. I give it an A.

My daughter spent 4 years here and loved it. (She is now at UNC Chapel Hill). Took Advance Placement classes all 4 years, enjoyed dances & sporting events, and had some fantastic teachers. Buildings are independent of each other which allows kids to get outside during class. Have been impressed by leadership during the covid era and after. My son is attending South Meck now and is currently a sophomore. While he is not nearly as academic as my daughter, his teachers have been great at communicating with me regarding his progress in class. The population at South is very diverse and the students get along very well. The Language magnet brings some great language teachers to the school as well. In a city of more than a dozen high school, we are very happy at South- My kids are proud to be Sabres!