Emerald Middle School

My daughter graduated from this school in 2011. We were a little concerned, because she was moving from a highly rated elementary school to this one. Alli-in-all, the experience wasn't so bad. She was able to make good friends, probably with people from backgrounds she might not have otherwise met. I agree with the previous reviewer that the school took a turn for the worse during the 2010-2011 school year when the in-your-face principle took over and changed many things in an attempt to remake Emerald into a STEM magnet school. My daughter also really missed the popular band teacher that was laid off, because band was about the only fun thing at the school.
—Submitted by a parent

I can only rate this in regards to Spec. Ed., but academically they are great and have good teachers and staff that help kids learn and progress further. In regards to Social interaction for those students in Spec. Ed. it really seems like the teachers try to keep students segregated not only by the location of their classes but also during lunch time and not keeping their student informed of social events so they can grow in that area as well. I understand that funding may be limited due to the current financial situation the district is in... but such separation is a bit much in my opinion. Kids will never learn to deal with various social situations if they never get to experience them at their age/level.
—Submitted by a parent

I am currently an eighth grader at EMS, and I am so find of my teachers that it will be difficult to graduate . All the other rumors about teachers not caring about our education is a lie. They are there before school and after school if any student needs assistance. They also have these really cool STEM programs and electives that I really enjoy. If any if my teachers happen to read this, I hope they recognize that this is only the truth. I love EMS!

The teachers and faculty go the extra mile.After school they walk as far as the local park to keep order and check on the kids safety. They buy needed items for the classrooms from their own pockets to ensure that the children have the best possible learning tools.
—Submitted by a parent

emerlad is improving each year they have real nice computers and recsources for kids but it isnt a 'great' school. The library is only open on tuesdays and wendesay which is a real low, the books in the libray are old and outdated. The elective choices are horrible nothing special, band is probobly the most intersting. The only good things are that the teachers are great at teaching strict but good. There is almost no parent involvment though. No parents go to meet and eat. The pricipals dont seem to do anything we alwys see the assistant principal doing all the work.
—Submitted by a student

i loved this skool the teachers wee great they were easy going and strict at the same time its like it made u want to do the work

it is an awesome school full of teachers that are willing to cooperate with parent and students to reach any academic goal and gain success
—Submitted by a parent

E.M.S rocks.if you ever look for schools that need better teachers,emerald is definitely the place.The principles leadership is above and beyond and the student's really care about there education.
—Submitted by a student

I am a student at EMS i'm in 7th grade and last yaer i hated coming to school there were constantly fights and the school was 'getto' this year is so much better we have computers and the school is upgraded in many ways another great things are the new teachers we r getting so mant amazing expireinces wer shouldn't be considered a crappy school any more because all of tthe subs that come to are school always come back be cause soposably we're respectful. =]
—Submitted by a student

i am a student curently going to emerald. i am an 8th grader. currently our school is 'poor' we have been blowing our budget out of control. the teachers are okay. depending on what 'team' you get. i dont like this school but i love my friends. good people attend. its just how they can act.
—Submitted by a student

This is my son's second year at Emerald Middle School. The teacher's have been wonderful. The only thing I would change is that they don't have a very good selection of clubs or after school activities. I'm interested in my son being more involved but, the Homework club isn't exactly what I was thinking of. I would like to see some language clubs or a club where they perform community service (some kind of Philanthropic club.
—Submitted by a parent

I am not a parent, but I did go 2 Emerald. I think that the quality of academic programs r great, the activities like art,sports,music/band were fabulous. I myself was n band, & I n'joyed it. But the thing that I was concern about was the level of parent involvement.
—Submitted by a student

My son has attended Emerald Middle School for two years and is currently an 8th grader there. Emerald is considered to be something of an 'inner city' school and has a high minority population. I was concerned in the beginning that this would mean a poor quality education or dangerous learning environment due to it being located in an area known for gangs, but our experience there has been high quality and positive. The school offers some great after-school program opportunities and competitive sports. There is weight training and homework club, among others. There is a school business (EmCo) which most students participate in at some point and are proud of. Fights are almost unheard of. GATE classes are tough but the teachers are good. Regular classes don't have too much homework. My son started out shy but has made many friends and really blossomed at EMS.
—Submitted by a parent

They have good teachers, but the office workers were a very unorganized my first time going there. They didn't unfold the shot record comepletely when they were copying, so that i could enroll my daughter in their school. I had to tkae it back . I had to take the shot record back three times and then the first day of school they called me that my daught was in the library and that she couldnt go into her classes until i brought her shot record. So i had to take it back a fourth time. It was worth the trouble though because the teachers are very good and some of the electives they have are fun and educational for the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

We tried to contact the counselor several times, each time she was unavailable. We tried reaching the principal,teachers also unavailable. The homework hotline was always outdated. We tried talking with the teachers after school only to be told that they would not see us unless we made an appt. then they would conveniently forget we had an appt. We would never send any of our future children there ever.Please do not send your kids to this school. We transfered ours to the Santee Dist. We saw an improvement within 1 semester.
—Submitted by a parent

I have never seen a school as bad as Emerald. We were consistantly blown off by faculty when we tried to get in touch with teachers,principal and counselors. This school needs to be reevaluated. Staff members just do not care about students. When we repeatedly contacted teachers they would not show up for scheduled meetings. This is the worst school in the district.
—Submitted by a parent

i'm not a parent, but a went to emerald middle school for three great years. When i had to leave for 9th grade i was sad because that school is so great and the teachers are excellent! If i had a problem i would openly go to the teachers!
—Submitted by Anneliese Shadden

Yes, I still think you've got it all wrong. I, along with all of my friends attended Emerald, as I said previously. I could always talk to the teachers about homework, and even problems with friends. They were always there to advise me, and even better, they made me feel like I belonged. My eighth grade teachers were awesome. They made the subjects they taught come alive for me. I know the counselors there are amazing, because I also went to see them on numerous occasions. Also, I do NOT agree that all of the students and staff are out of control.
—Submitted by Aleesha Davis

I am a former student who is now in eigth grade. I believe that emerald middle school is an awesome school. I have made so many friends, as well as memories. Emeralds teacher are some of the best. They have great teaching methods, and in fact, I can't wait until I go back a visit many of my former teachers that are now my friends. I enjoyed going to Emerald sooo much, that I didn't want to leave. Now that i'm not attending Emerald anymore, I really miss the place. I don't understand why so many people put Emerald down, when it really is such an amazing school. I believe that I am truly blessed to have the experience of attending Emerald. It is a safe, school, with friendly teachers and staff. Thanks you Emerald for the memories!

Last year I was the 8th grade counselor/school social worker. I had been with Emerald for six years. Being a counselor, I dealt alot with parents. In my experience, the majority of parents were quite pleased and impressed with the Emerald teachers and staff. I received many comments over the years from parents expressing their satisfaction with Emerald in comparison to other schools their children had attended. I also interacted constantly with the students. The majority of the students had positive things to say about Emerald and the teachers. I am sorry the parent that posted her comment earlier had an unpleasant experience when trying to enroll her child. Personally, I always assisted parents (in a timely manner) when they were in the process of enrolling their children at Emerald. I would set up meetings that answered any questions or addressed any concerns they had, inform them of the process of enrolling and which classes their child would best benefit from, give them campus tours, when appropriate introduce them to certain staff members, etc. I am not sure why this parent was given unsatisfactory service! I had worked in two other schools before having the pleasure of working at Emerald. In my experience, the teachers at Emerald are more professional, seasoned, caring, available, flexible and really care about their students. If a parent is deciding which school to place their child in, I would strongly recommend Emerald Middle School. Sincerely, Tracy Lawlor
—Submitted by Tracy Lawlor