Brogden Middle

Here are my thoughts as an alumni of this school. My first year was all online and no one really participated so there isn’t much I can say, but 7th grade was when I went back in person. It was pretty average, with just a lot of drama and a few not great teachers (one I believe got fired m) but eighth grade really did a number on me. I will say though, that not too much homework is given but that does depend on your teachers. The school needs to do some serious work with the way they handle sexual harassment/bullying because as an afab person I am EXTREMELY catcalled and harassed anytime I walk into an unsupervised classroom, or even just through the hallways. There was a person who had been sexually harassing, bullying and even tried to sexually assault my friends and I multiple times for over a school year but the school pretended to care, but did nothing. The only teacher who actually took action was the band teacher who is one of the most amazing teacher I have ever had. The pe coach screamed at me until I started crying because I left the classroom one time bc I had to use the bathroom like a normal human being, and then yelled at my family bc of this. There were 2 shootings on campus in the span of a week and teachers told us not to talk about it because they said they thought it could be a rumor, as we were watching helicopter footage of the building we were in. Two high schoolers lost their lives that day, and our school did almost nothing to acknowledge them. The bodies of these students were found 39 minutes b4 school started meaning they could just cancel, but made us take tests and act like nothing happened. I get that their intentions were to not scare us, but they only instilled more fear. I will say that we have amazing guidance counselors and a phenomenal band program but we really need more resources for student mental health. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the school handled testing and learning accommodations on my 504 plan because I have adhd, which have definitely helped me a lot and most teachers have respected these. I have experienced some mild transphobia and homophobia from students but this is surprisingly not as common at the school. I really do think we need and lgbtqia+ club or a gsa though. There are lots of fights but that is to be expected in a middle school, and now and then we would have “gas leaks” which were just the smell of the ancient heating systems turning on.

Brogden Middle School is an incredible school hidden in the heart of a changing Durham. Previously known in the community as a "bad" school, the school has new leadership and a commitment to building a diverse community of learners where every child is challenged to grow into their potential. My child has felt supported and challenged at Brogden. Racial and ethnic diversity is Brogden's superpower, not its weakness. While there are still equity challenges to be faced and the effects of the pandemic to overcome...as a family we are excited to return to Brogden in the fall of 2021 and anticipate sending all of our kids through Brogden.

The teachers and team leaders at Brogden have in many ways exceeded my expectation of what can be accomplished in the middle school years at any school. They approach the complexity of this age with a dedicated attitude and an abundance of positive energy. They are open to honest feedback from students, while still maintaining student's respect. They collaborate with parents and students in a way that adds to the overall school experience.

Year two at this school and it has been an awful experience. Last year, my child was not placed in the "correct" math classes until halfway through the first semester. Turned out, that was not the correct one either, so the classes were done out of order. My student opted to take the classes again because of the disjointed approach to class placement - so an entire year of credit was essentially lost. While some of the teachers are great, some are absolute nightmares who seem to thrive on public embarrassment of students. The building itself is also home to an "alternative program" called the New Directions center, which is for children who are unable to attend general public schools because of behavioral and suspension issues. While there are locked doors between the two campuses, some of the testing is done on the alternative campus side rather than Brogden. The new principal, whom everyone who has kids stuck here had high hopes for, has policies of making an example of students by punishing groups of students for the actions of few, threatening suspension of entire classes for the actions of two students, threatening students with removal from athletic teams for actions done by students on the other side of the room. Even if your child is not in the group being punished, there may be some peripheral fallout since buses are held until these other students are released. The office staff can be helpful, unless you get the ones who don't pass messages and hang up on you. My advice is - stay out of the district. Once your student is here, they are pretty much stuck.

Our experience here has been very good. I would recommend this school to friends.