FERN Loop
Mc Henry, MD 21541

Our experiences with Cooper Middle School were very good. The newly renovated facilities are outstanding. The quality of the teachers was very good. The "competitive" academic clubs -- Science Olympiad, QuizBowl, and Model UN -- were top-notch. The AAP program is filled with kids who, for the most part, are extremely intelligent and driven. Great band program too. Only complaint would be the quality of the after-school activities is spotty. If your child is academically motivated, this should be an excellent public school for them.

We have been struggling for 3 years at this school. My child is doing very well in school but is not challenged and the pace of learning is slow and not engaging. We have never really felt welcome as parents and we don’t feel the administration has ever made an effort to know my child. Some grades give homework and other grades don’t. Teacher communication differs by grade level. But I often don’t know what my child is learning or how they are doing until the report cards come out. The kids are constantly being tested on skills they have not been taught. The testing is a bit excessive. There is a lot of teacher turnover as well as a lot of part time teachers. There is a lot of non academic time including screen time as early as kindergarten. The PTA is very present and constantly fundraising. Every event is for raising money. However instead of focusing on opportunities to benefit the students most of the budget is geared toward teacher perks. They do arrange after school classes but they’re very expensive and probably a fundraiser too. The principal is overly supporting teachers over students. This school has a Japanese immersion program but the parents treat this like a separate private school. The entry is by lottery but it seems the majority of the class is made up of local kids. I believe the school would be stronger without the language immersion program. It seems to segregate kids. We don’t feel any community at this school and it’s sad because it’s a small school that has the potential but communication and family engagement is poor. There are several PTA members that are heavily involved and don’t seem to welcome newcomers.

If your kid is academically motivated, LHS provides a challenging environment that should set them up well for college. My kid found the AP/DE offerings to be very challenging, and the sheer volume of AP/DE offerings is impressive. Generally very good teachers. Very nice, clean facilities, and my kid always felt safe. Outstanding band program. Lots of clubs, although some clubs are good while others are more for college app padding. The quality of the sports programs varies by coach and team, but earning a varsity letter at LHS is no small feat.Overall, compared to other public high schools we're familiar with, LHS is absolutely at the top of the heap, and we had no regrets sending our kid there.