Cooperative Middle School

I type this as my wonderful child is miserably texting me from CMS, begging me to come pick them up. My child hates every day spent in this building, and this is a kid who, by all accounts, should be thriving and loving school. Excellent grades, loved by teachers, and one of the lucky ones with a "friend group" (my older child wasn't so lucky and their experience here was even worse). There is very little to inspire the children here. Nothing to help them feel excited about school, or proud of what they're learning. No field trips, nothing. It makes me feel sick and sad that this is our only option for middle school.

We had one child go through this school, and it was such an awful experience. We decided that our other child would not be subjected to the same issues that our oldest went through. There was a lot of bullying that was swept under the rug. Additionally, the academic instruction was subpar at best. We decided to send our other child to a private school for middle school and don't regret that sacrifice one bit. Our other child is thriving and is happy to go to school. Quite frankly, had we known that CMS was going to have such a negative impact on our first's middle school experience and mental health, we would have considered another school without question. We know other parents who have pulled or chosen not to send their kids to this school for the very same reason. It's a shame we pay so much in taxes for a school that doesn't deliver a safe, nurturing environment with strong academics. CMS needs to do better!

Great overall experience thus far. Had one child go through already and another is partially through now. Principal is great, and many of the teachers are excellent. They do a great job transitioning the kids from the smaller elementary schools.

CMS is at best, a mediocre and over-crowded school which will deliver the bare minimum. Coinciding with the current principal's arrival, many trips and activities were cut. Students attend a school where many will not be inspired, and they can look forward to three years of nothing special. Many students at CMS come from affluent or upper middle class families, which seems to give these students an advantage among peers and some CMS staff. Students who aren't as privileged may find themselves adrift without an adult to help them navigate the sometimes cruel social order of middle schoolers. My hope is that CMS will work on that.

I wish we had pulled her and sent her to Heronfeld. There were a few teachers who are really trying to connect with the kids (e.g., the English teachers who host the spelling bee), and a few decent math teachers. However, if your child is excelling or failing, he or she will fall through the cracks. Our child had never even met her counselor until she needed a recommendation for private high school (because we weren't going to put her through 4 more years of this type of mediocrity).