5050 Hiland Rd
Eagle River, AK 99577

I just want to add for people looking at older reviews that the school got a new principal beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, so this should be taken into account when reading any reviews regarding the school administration written prior to the fall of 2011.

STAY AWAY FROM SIGNING UP YOUR KID FOR THE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM. It was extremely upsetting to see the favoritism from the coaches, especially Rebekah “Bekah” Ames. WE spent much of our time and money to come see our daughter play only to have her benched 90% of the time. Come to find out from my daughter’s teammates was that Bekah has specifically stated to them that she did not care or even liked my daughter, which makes a lot more sense now. Not only is Bekah unprofessional, she was horrible about communicating any concerns that parents would have. It’s a shame that this person was hired to be a coach (and was terrible at it) but instead acts more like a high school student. She is definitely the reason why the girls played so horribly this past season. I hope that she’ll learn to be a better person. Please hire professional coaches that can actually be fair to the team.

As a parent, I’ve been really impressed with Gruening Middle School. The staff is incredibly supportive, and they genuinely care about the students’ success. My child feels welcomed and encouraged every day. The school has a great sense of community, and the range of activities keeps the kids engaged both academically and socially. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I couldn’t be happier with the environment they’re creating for our children!