Thoreau Demonstration Academy

I graduated from Thoreau after it reopened in 1999. While middle school can be socially challenging anywhere, my experience at the school was academically and psychological traumatic. Teachers did not teach foundational academic concepts in many cases. For example, when I attended, we were not taught basic middle school math curriculum. Since math builds upon itself, not learning the basics put me severely behind in high school. Class sizes were very large, even with a para teacher in the class, and there was too much emphasis on group projects versus individual accountability. There were a lot of thug type students / gangbangers in training there since the admissions are not based on academic merit, it’s just a lottery from various parts of town with no credentials. Lord of very mean kids that would bully others.I’ve heard it has declined even more and sadly, was at its best early on when I attended. Thankfully, I left TPS for private school, but would have had a happier experience going to one of the many excellent private schools. Pls look carefully prior to sending your child here if you have other options!

My experience was rough. There was a lot of bulling and when I was in 7th grade most of the teachers made it clear they hated us. Us students couldn't trust our counselors especially since if you reported something they never took it seriously and told the other people involved what you said or did and who told. I had an experience where I got pushed down the hill at school and the nurse refused to send me home and did not let me talk to my mom. I was told they would tell my mom what happened they didn't and the principal said my mom was overreacting for bringing it up. The rules on the bathrooms are insane they are locked during class and only open during passing period if the person who has access to a key felt like it. Please do not send your kids there my experience is one of the good ones.

So many positive things to say about Thoreau! My Daughter has never been able to maintain straight A’s and MAP score progression every time until she started attending Thoreau. The system of learning that they utilize, including Tribes and Microsociety just works well for her. She has matured both socially and academically, it’s amazing! The school itself is smaller so I think it’s a lot easier for the students to maneuver in between classes. The teachers that she has had have been superb in not only teaching but holding students accountable for their learning. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for a bright future with college goals in mind.

My 3 years at Thoreau were honestly some of the best 3 years of my life. There were so many things about the school that made me excited to go to class everyday. Although the school is strict with the uniforms and there are large class sizes, every classroom had a sense of community. The teachers were friendly and I even got close with a couple of them during my time there. The teachers try to have fun with the students by making funny jokes and making projects fun. The projects, like Brotherhood and the 7th grade boat races, made everybody think very hard about their work while also having lots of fun. Microsociety allowed us to learn how to work for our money, while also learning how to save it in a bank account, and even invest in stocks if we chose to. And to encourage students to try saving as much money as they could, there is an annual auction on the last day of school. This is only a glimpse at the type of experience you can get a Thoreau. I was a more shy kid, but when I was at Thoreau, I started to come out of my shell. There is a little cliche going on within the student body, but that's because the students all choose their own friends and groups. And even then, the students from the different social groups would still come out and work together in harmony. The counselors are so nice, especially Ms.Hongo. I ran into during my sophomore year and she remembered who I was, so the counselors do get to know their students. I wish I could go back and relive those years.

Would not send another child there or even suggest it unless your child is an A plus student, without any special needs, individual thoughts or acts like a middle school child because the expectations are too high and communication is lacking.