William B. Bristow Middle School

My son transferred from Adam's Middle School, which is supposed to be a better school. My experience is that Bristow is the better school. Eventhough Bristow and Adams have appx. the same number of students, Bristow feels smaller and more personal. The Principal and teachers really push academics.The students I have interacted with are very respectful.The teachers are awesome and the Principal is great. Bristow is a good fit for us.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at Bristow for 2 years and we have had great experiences. Their test scores really came up this year and even made it as one of the Top Calif. Schools. Mr. Cornell (Principal) and Mr. Ovick (VP) are caring and so nice. They have many activities for the GATE students which is great! My daughter and I are very happy with Bristow.
—Submitted by a parent

Walking in as a new student in the 7th grade I didn't know what to expect. I found that the other students are really nice for the most part and the teachers are great. Now that I am in the 8th grade the school has become even better. The W.E.B program is amazing and really helps the entire school. The only problem is that they don't have a good math help department, and their drama program isn't the best. Other than that its a great school with many great opportunities!
—Submitted by a student

i am a 6th grader at this school and was so scared people would get bullied b 8th graders and thats how it is the office people are always in a bad mood and the teachers are unorganized and mean and 7th and8th graders steal locks and clothes this school needs more organization.
—Submitted by a student

This school is pretty good, and I know, because I'm a student there. Not all of the classrooms are nice, though. Most of them are really small. Also, the teachers always dismiss our class late, so I am always late for PE since we only get about two minutes in between classes. But, besides that, its pretty good.
—Submitted by a student

I love this school. I have been going to Bristow when i was young. The teachers helped enyone and everyone learn as much as the could. i give it two thumbs up!
—Submitted by a student

I have not found the the former principal and current vice-principal to be at all child-centered. I believe they have much room for growth as role models for Bristow's students, as they don't seem to particularly care about the individual child.
—Submitted by a parent

Bristow is a fun school and I love it here. I do wish that they would have a tutoring place though. Going to teachers after school and before classes doesn't really work for me or most of my friends. There should be tutoring for other students like after school for about an hour and many teachers should think about doing it. I would be much happy with it. I think that our school should have a drama department because some of the kids at our school could be great actors or actresses. I personally think that it would be a great opportunity for many students and I would join the class. For parent evolvement, I think that they do a pretty good job of helping with assemblies and dances. They should get a DJ though for the dances, because the stuff we have now isn't as good as a DJ
—Submitted by a student

I am a former student of bristow middle school. I think that this school was a fairly good school. Most of the teachers that I had were great but there were a few that were just horrible. Some of the teachers at that school really dont care about there students but there are others who really care about there students. The teachers that I had were always willing to help me if I needed after school help or help during lunch. The sports arent really that great. Ccheerleading was fun because it wasnt all that competitive and everyone had a great time. Basketball is the only realy sport (both boys and girls) that did really well and that the school really cares about. The dress code however is horrible! They are way too strict! Overall it was an okay school.
—Submitted by a former student

This school disapoionted me from when I first enrolled. My former school was always happy, joyful, but here, everyone is always in a bad mood, including teachers. It just has a bad feeling around the area. Also it was hard to understand teachers. It seemed like they might have been unwilling to teacher, or jut not trying their hardest. That may be my personal opinion, but I know one thing for sure. The safety is just terrible. would always hear about big fights. My friends would get pushed around, and the teachers didn't even try to stop it. At times it seemed like they may have tried to encourage it. The principal would be gone to a lot. Overall, a school with poor safety, consider taking your child to a different school.
—Submitted by a former student

'Both my children have gone to bristow middle school.It is a school where the students come first. Each child is encouraged to do their personal best without being labeled. The teachers are highly skilled and work hard to bring out the best in each child. The principal is kind and knows each child by name. She is a great example of a leader and I will miss seeing her everyday as my daughter graduates this year. Great Thank you for all Bristow staff for bringing out the best in my children and giving them the encouragement and confidence they need to go out into the world!
—Submitted by a parent

The parents support the continued development of their children's minds by making certain the fine arts remaind integral in the cirriculum.
—Submitted by a parent

The administration needs to have a strong foundation to properly support the fast growing children it educates. Within that foundation, the principal must earn the respect of not only its staff and students but of the parents of the children attending that school. Experiences being shared among parents in the community who have had confrontations in regards to issues involving their children s education or discipline, have lead level-headed parents to reach the point of no return when it came to issues which went un-answered. A simple principal/parent conference can turn into a shouting match witnessed by a room full of staff and students. Asking for an explanation will lead to the arrival of her private security (the city police) to protect her from irate parents on her campus.
—Submitted by a parent

The principle of this school has a problem with communication. To the parents, the principle does not listen and to the students the principle does not inspire. It is disturbing to discover a principle of any school should feel the need to call the police on any parent, that is concerned about thier child, when a confrontation occurs. To me this shows lack of communication skills. In comparison to similar schools in Brentwood the difference is noticable. The teacher quality, I thought was good. Although the teachers were good my children no longer attend this school and are much happier and motivated.
—Submitted by a parent

The morale of the students starts from the top... Its the trickle down theory. The princlpal and counselors are negative, which over flows to the teachers. Which can only over flow to the students....
—Submitted by a parent

A poor climate exists at the school, as the principal tends to berate students at every opportunity.
—Submitted by a parent