Montera Middle School

The students are eager to learn and complete their homweork. The teachers work well together. All people involved want our students to succeed. Montera is cool. We love our school
—Submitted by a parent

This school is very diverse and has excellent teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are dedicated and very supportive to students and parents!
—Submitted by a parent

Montera Middle School has a dynamic principal and extremely dedicated teachers. There is also new enthusiasm and expanded membership in the Parent Teacher Organization. The student body is diverse, yet there is a strong sense of community and belonging within the student body. It's still middle school, but the students seem to be enjoying learning.
—Submitted by a parent

Montera isn't a bad school . I hear parents saying ' oh my child was mortified , there were fights everyday and some of the kids were very rude to her . ' Well you know what ? Montera doesnt have fights everyday ,and They are always broken up . Also , Thats Life , if she thinnks Montera is bad , wait until she gets to high school . The kid needs to be exposed to some things , because if he/she isnt , When they go on to high school , they're gonna be shocked . Monteraa is a good school to me . A 8th grader .
—Submitted by a student

Montera is the best school ever teachers dont challenge as much as they should but our school dont have fights every day some children can be disruptive but montera is a good school
—Submitted by a student

My son has been going to Montera for 2 years. Montera has changed a lot in recent years, as it has had a reputation of violence in the past. They are now a very well-adjusted school in that way, and actually separate out the 6th from 8th graders for classes and lunches. My disappointment in Montera is that it is not academically challenging. In grading, there is not one teacher (including English!) who corrects my son's spelling/grammatical errors. He works fairly hard for his A's, yet I believe he could be challenged much more academically. I am not a grade-oriented parent, yet I believe students need to be challenged in order to grow, be proud of themselves, and to stay interested in school.
—Submitted by a parent

I've been going to Montera for a couple of months now and it's great! We have a library now thats you can use almost all the time, plus everyones nice. People who think theres fights every day are wrong. There are barely any fights so stop saying there are. There might be fights at your/your kids school that you don't even know about !
—Submitted by a student

i love montera as a student i feel safe, although some kids can be rude and violent i love it at montera because it gives us a sense of the real world and parents who sheild their kids from that when they go to high school its going to shock them. the teachers give you 1 on 1 support when you need it and there is tutoring in most subjects before and after school. this school has been one of the best experiances for me.
—Submitted by a student

It is a very supportive environment. As a parent, I can talk to the principal and any teacher every day, and I often do. I'm on top of what happens in my child's classroom. It is very easy and fun to get involved in volunteer activities, for the whole family. My daughter's younger sister, who is in elementary school now, already made friends with several teachers and with the principal, and can't wait to go to Montera. Bottom line is - if your child comes here to learn you will be very pleased with the results. It is also a great school for academically-gifted students - it truly puts no limits on what the students can learn.
—Submitted by a parent

The Principal and all the staff deserve a big round of applause. My child is enjoying the school. We need to encourage and support the school to make it even better. It is a very healthy environment for learning in spite of the limited resources and support. It is up to everyone to help to make this school to achieve its full potential. I am 100% behind this school because my child is there. We can make it a model school for Oakland if everyone take responsibility to make it happen.
—Submitted by a parent

Montera Middle School has been the worst experience for our student. While I understand the challenges associated with children in this age group, the behavior of the majority of the student body at this institution is absolutely inappropriate. Worst, the teachers and administrators seem to accept it. After 2+ years of voicing concerns, and getting nowhere with complaints, we've pulled our child out.
—Submitted by a parent

Fabulous inclusive principal, has created a safe and disciplined environment, while maintaining great enthusiasm for the children.
—Submitted by a parent

I was a student here. It was the worst year of my life. There was always violence,making fun of other kids,blowing up stuff, and the police was always there. It is the worst school. I had a rough time there with everything. you will always here about stuff at montera. It is so sad to see a school like this be such a disgrace.
—Submitted by a student

As a Montera grad, I was very disappointed to see the decline of the school - academically, campus safety, school spirit, etc. But the new (2007-2008) principal has done an incredible job turning around the school in shrot order. The teachers are now responsive and the students are being held accountable. Great!

I love Montera Middle School, My Child is enjoying it and is learning a lot. The principal is also very good!
—Submitted by a parent

My oldest child went to Montera and is now at Oakland Tech. but I put her younger sister in Bret Harte. I was excited about Bret Harte afterschool programs and clubs that were not at all available at Montera. On the first day of school my 6th grader at Bret Harte seemed alot more engaged with her teachers than my older daughter did at Montera.
—Submitted by a parent

I would like to see what is in store for this year with the new principle. He seems more than capable to change the environment with the students in the school. I am optimistic. I still feel better use of money could be spent hiring counselors instead of having too many administrative people in the office. Many of the children come from dysfunctional homes and we need to address their issues so they can adjust to a more a normal environment while adjusting to such a diverse community of teachers, students.
—Submitted by a parent

Wehave a dynamic new principal
—Submitted by a parent

I enrolled my daughter mid-year so she was unable to take advantage of many of the extracurricular activities, however, I received tremendous support from all of her teachers. Sadly to say, I was shocked and horrified to wittiness countless inappropriate behaviors amongst the student body which seemed to go unnoticed by staff members. I know hormones are raging in middle school, but there should be safeguards in place addressing these issues. There seemed to be group of kids who made the environment difficult for teachers and students alike, but seemed to be overlooked. I empathize with what these teaches are dealing with daily. Hopefully the new principal will address the discipline problems. The music program was great.
—Submitted by a parent