8409 Brownes Pond Ln
Charlotte, NC 28277

This school has no consideration for the student or the family. It is 100% about the way the principal looks to the community. Students and parents are belittled. Students are punished and berated when they could be come along side and taught. Middle school is time for students to learn. Of course there should be consequences but the consequences at SCMS are not aligned to the behaviors and not designed to teach. Instead, the SCMS principal uses these opportunities to instead punish. She yells at, berates, and loses her temper in front of the students on a regular basis. Parents who have different beliefs and/or giving patterns are belittled. You are told you are not a good parent if you do not participate in what the principal wants you to…regardless of your why. The principal does not care about your why. If your goal is not to make the SCMS principal look good, this is not the school for you. This includes teacher and staff. The teachers and staff are continually turning over to the detriment of teacher health and student learning. Multiple teachers in ELA and math each year do not lead to success. In fact, an A student quickly becomes a C student and does not care. It leads to students deciding to not keeping trying because the bar and rules continuously change. The teachers and staff are not leaving due to burnout. They leave because of the principal.. The environment is toxic for students, teachers, and parents. It will not change until Lisa Bailes is no longer the Principal.

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!

McAlpine has been a wonderful experience for my two children. It's smaller than surrounding schools, so the teachers and admin get to really know your child. Class sizes are smaller than average, and there isn't overcrowding. The younger grades get two recesses a day, which is great for energetic kids. The specials teachers are really great, especially the P.E. teacher, Ms. Davis. She's dedicated to making physical activity fun and goes above what's required of her position. There are some truly standout teachers that we've been lucky to have. We've also had a more average teacher, but I feel like that's the case at every school. If there are any problems or concerns, the admin team is approachable and helpful.