5226 Shagbark Rd
Fayetteville, NC 28304

I was just an 8th grader here at Douglas Byrd middle school. The school is disgusting. The people were rude. They are bully’s and made fun of kids with special needs. There were roaches everywhere. Bugs on walls grounds and bathrooms. They would record people using the bathroom and take pictures of people eating. The teachers were nice. Overall you can enroll your child in this school but I would not recommend.

As a parent I would never send my child to the school. Yes I am not there at the school but the bullying at the school that I have seen is the worst that I've seen I come from San Diego California and those are some pretty bad school's up there. This school my child has been bullied she has made complaints to staff teachers principal vice principal nothing has been done I have done the same I've called the school everyday never receive a call back. My daughter was beat up after school by one particular girl caught on video with a teacher just standing there watching the fight not calling for help not trying to split it up just standing there watching the fight as my daughter is getting beaten in the head. My child is a straight A sometimes B student never has been in trouble. In the videos that have been plastered all over social media this girl walks up to my daughter starts yelling at her cussing at her and starts choking her then repeadly hitting her inthe head pulling her hair out in chunks. My daughter trys to get her away from her and the other girl jumps on top of her hitting her in the head again. My daughter get suspended the other girl is at school the next school day. This school is a joke. My daughter is scared to be at this school and I'm scared for her.

Massey Hill is a Choice School in the County. (Apps to attend usually due by Jan.) Students are eclectic & many are advanced learners/over achievers/gifted & LIKE learning.The student/teacher ratios are very low. Downsides: - Transportation (school bus) is not provided (unless you live on Ft. Liberty). - Special Ed: their weakest point. If have an IEP & minimal needs, they’ll likely be ok. But consensus seems to be you must keep tabs & be consistent when things go left. (Frankly, the entire school district is poor for EC kids.) - Sports - There are none. But students can participate in sports at the school their home is districted for. (For on-post this is EE Smith HS). Be sure to contact the home school directly and be persistent. - Hate to point out one specific person/position, but it’s important. The counselor who works with students deciding a career field or post-secondary education lacks. To be fair, they are the only counselor and have 300’ish students (55-65 per class) & have not been out of college long. If something small or pointed is needed, you’re good. But parents be prepared to tackle this yourself. - Family engagement: they’re trying! Much improved over last few years! Neutrals: - the surrounding area. Don’t be put off by the appearance and “talk” of the area. It’s still tying to rid of a reputation from the 80’s - 10’s. Security at the school is paramount. - Physical building - know the building is 100 years old. It’s well cared for, but expect all that comes with such. - Uniforms: love ‘em or hate em. They are required. Prices are reasonable, but not inexpensive. The school hasn’t quite figured out how to make buying a smooth process. But you can buy “unbranded” pieces from wherever. Positives: - Teachers & administration - #1 They are very supportive & understanding with students. Turnover is very low and that says a LOT about the entire school. There are a few teachers that are a bit hard to get ahold of, a couple that prefer to post grades every couple weeks versus daily, but your student isn’t likely to be plagued with this more than once per semester. And if needed, a quick email to admin will straighten things out. - If a student is “weird”, they’re just that. Nobody cares. Few students pick on them. In fact, they’re likely to find a friend or two who is also “weird.” Bullying is not tolerated by students & squashed. - Drugs and shenanigans - don’t bring that mess to The Hill! It’s not tolerated AT ALL.

We moved here from Ohio and were unfortunately assigned to Sherwood Park. My daughter is in Kindergarten and was being taught things she had already learned in preschool at her previous school. My son went from being on the honor roll at the number 2 ranked school in the entire state of Ohio and being placed in gifted/advanced classes to not being able to finish tests or assignments because he did not understand with how things were being taught (or I should say, not being taught). When he would try to get clarification from his teacher she would basically blow him off and not help, which led to him coming home from school, almost daily, upset and frustrated. Too much emphasis is put into their extremely juvenile color coding behavior chart than in trying to raise a generation of intelligent and knowledgeable children. The homework being sent home is a joke, I don't even know why they bother. I have removed my children from this school and suggest to other parents to please do a major service to your child's future and do whatever necessary to not send your kid here, homeschooling would be a more effective education than this place offers.

It is unfortunate that the city and school system does not provide more school choices and education options. The options are very few within the school system and many of the schools are failing and low performing. It sucks

We love this school. The teachers are great and you can tell the new principal Mr. Parker loves being there. That's all my kids talk about. So glad we chose Reid Ross.

To me, i think this school wasn't so great, i used to be in that school. The teachers were yelling and stuff and they always caused my anger problems without knowing it, they just ignored me no matter what, i was even crying, i was only 13. but now, i bet the school hasnt changed a bit since i left for good, its been years. they discouraged me, told me i wouldn't survive high school, go to college, now look at me. i proved them wrong. I always wanted to say this, now that i did, i feel alot better.

Great, the teachers really care about their students.

I rate the school 10 out of 10. My daughter is senior this year and she has had an amazing experience.

It's hard to find a good school in this area, but we had heard good things about the High School and our kids were entering middle school. It was close to home and a choice school, so we chose to send first one child, and then the next year their sibling.Our first year experience there was mostly good. We had little to no communication from the teacher, but our child thrived in their first year of middle school and we were thrilled, coming out of virtual learning and back into in-person school.But the following year they promoted the principal of the school and brought in a new one for the middle school. As our second child entered their first year there, we noticed a big change. First off, while my first gifted child did well, my special needs child went ignored. When we tried to communicate with the teachers, we got the usual no response. It took calls to the administration and weeks to get responses. Meanwhile, our child was failing most of thier classes. We discovered thier 504 wasn't being followed, they had ignored our concerns about placement in advanced classes, and ultimately we had to choose homeschooling mid-year.Meanwhile, events at the school were poorly planned, awards ceremonies were a mess, dances were cancelled at the last minute, and an culture of mass punishment took over.My first student began to hate the school. They disliked most of their teachers, and began to do poorly. My once thriving student was very unhappy. There are also nowhere near the extra-curricular opportunities I would expect from a school like this. Few clubs, and the ones we tried were run so poorly that they weren't really functioning clubs. No field trips.School morale is currently very low, and this school has lost its shine.