Gruening Middle School

For the most part all the teachers are great. But the principal is another story. She is a horrible principal. She does not try to resolve any conflicts/situations or even care. She doesn't interact with the kids and is not approachable. She's just not involved at all. All she does is sit in her office and gossips about the families and situations. You can definitely tell she's just there for the pay check. It Has potential to be a great school if they hired a principal who actually cares about her job and takes pride in what she does.

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.

I cannot say enough about this school. We are military, and had the good fortune of being staying put for 4 years, so between our two kids, we have experienced a wide range of teachers and services at this school. Aside from a few minor speed bumps along the way (understandable, and nothing too major), this experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The kids at this school have access to an incredible range of field trips and breadth experiences (i.e., ice skating and skiing in gym class!) that I wish every child could have. Not to mention all the incredible events the school offers like Harvest Festival, the Holiday Bazaar, Field Day, and Skate Night to name a few. Ravenwood is more than just a school; it's a community. Not everyone is perfect, but I believe everyone shows up each day committed to doing their best for the kids. I want to give special credit to the incredible SPED team at this school, who truly work miracles. I have also volunteered with the PTSO and found it to be a really rewarding and enjoyable experience....highly recommend getting involved in this incredible community if you have the time!

We’ve been in many schools since earthquake school closure, and pandemic. This moving around was hard on our children. Fire Lake Elementary was the most welcoming, warm and wonderful school. Teachers are fantastic and so caring. There are great Special needs services. Our kids had the best years in this school and of all schools, we chose to come back to Fire Lake.

I believe the atmosphere is mediocre. The kids are often treated as a nuisance. I don't believe they filter whom they allow to volunteer or work noon duties strictly enough. My kids seem stressed by the constant negativity. My children are above average in grades and work very hard at their studies. We've moved around and attended 4 different elementary schools. Homestead is the least on my list. We would change schools, however I don't want to uproot my children again. My youngest that hasn't started yet will not attend Homestead. Not highly impressed. Seems teacher oriented more than student oriented.