Southwestern Middle School

A very filthy school. Alot of dried up gum everywhere(the black dots on ground) and gum on the ground,The stairs are filled with that too, Kids are rude to other students and to teachers who just want to do their job.There's alot of bullying and homophobia.As for the school food , choices are very limited and not filling. The food is poorly made( lunch and breakfast). Huge roaches, One rat was present as well.So many fightsAgain, the disrespect is unrealPeople vape and do drugs here.They also skip classes or don't even show up the whole year.It's sad

Walked in not one person had their mask on. Children not being enforced to protect others. COVID vacine was still not available for children under 12. Front desk clerk did not enforce mask for children being dropped off late. Or personal dropping off supplies or volunteer who signed in on computer. My child had gotten very ill with Covid recently now I know why careless by school personal.

My daughter tried standing up for herself for bullying, but they treated her like she was in the wrong. It's not her fault she bit five kids. I am very disappointed with this school.

We are so happy we found children’s house in deland! Highest caliber of Montessori style education we have seen. Independence and independent thinking of children is encouraged early on, appreciation for the arts, wonderful music program and daily gardening create grounded and curious children ready to take on some of the worlds “challenges.” Their technology and integration of parents into the classroom is wonderful. So happy with this school, more than we could have ever hoped for!

We were so excited to have our children begin at St. Barnabas… however, that excitement diminished rather quickly. Where should I start? My daughter had her brand new birthday gift (a $40 stainless steel water bottle) scratched up with a pen by a bully in her class the DAY after she got it from her aunt. The teacher did nothing. This same student also destroyed a brand new book she had in her backpack (while she went to use the restroom) without any consequences. Following these incidents, my daughter began to overhear the conversations amongst students at recess, lunch, and in the restroom, discussing extremely explicit lyrics to Cardi B & Nicki Minaj songs, prostitution, strip clubs, and cannibalism, complete with explicit details about Jeffrey Dahmer. Really unbelievable to have to have this conversation with a young child after attending a Christian school for only 3 months. The other shocking part about St B. was how many kids they let into the school that aren’t only non-Christian’s, but bully kids that are Christian and enjoy singing at Chapel. My daughter experienced girls mocking her for singing and rolling their eyes during chapel time. Very strange to me that this is allowed at any school, let alone a private Christian school. The final straw for us was when my daughter came to me about being bullied for her body parts by envious older middle school girls. They’d make comments about her breasts and butt and as the days went on, I could see her confidence starting to diminish and she’d make comments about her not looking a certain way. My husband and I pulled her because we wouldn’t take anymore. Initially our only gripe with St. B was the heavy homework load and the rude teachers, but at least we could deal with those two issues. The rest of it became too much and not worth affecting my child in such a negative way. We are so excited for her next chapter. The new school she’s entering has the loveliest teachers that foster a warm, caring environment with zero tolerance for bullying.

My kids attended in 2021-22. My older son was bullied, and the school leadership and teachers did nothing to help, and didn't even seem to know how to approach the situation. My younger son did full-day preK, and the second half of the day was "nap time" and watching Disney movies, with no further learning after the morning kids left. When we discovered one of our kids was neurodivergent, the counselor refused to recommend any area occupational therapists or mental health professionals because they didn't want it to come back on them if we had a bad experience with a provider. They have no staff equipped to deal with special needs on site, nor do their teachers seem to have any training in how to work with neurodivergent kids. In short, save your money. We've had a fantastic experience at our local public elementary school, and I wish we'd never even considered sending them to St. Peter's.