Cupertino Middle School

Cupertino schools are only as great as your child can learn on their own, get tutoring from outside source, or parents tutor their kids. If you think that coming to this school will make your kids smart or advance him in anyway, then I think you are not on the right path. Your child (ren) want to learn and want to advance is the real secret to doing well in schools. I hear it all too often that some teachers like only the well behave kids and the kids that do not have learning disabilities. The ones that do need help aren't getting the help they need. It is sad.
—Submitted by a parent

Cupertino Middle School is the BEST school I have ever stepped foot into. It has excellent teachers such as the Math 6 teacher Ms. Barr. She is a very humorous person and makes kids laugh like crazy! She is very encouraging and keeps a smile on all day. The Band teacher Mrs. Verissimo is amazing and has a well disciplined class. At times when the band slacks off or gets tired, she snaps them right back onto their feet. Mrs. McCulloch the ^th grade language arts teacher is the nicest teacher you could ever meet. She keeps her class well disciplined and very exciting! The P.E. teacher Mr. Sickler is very hard working and takes an hour out of his free Sunday to write a blog for his website! Mrs. Cerda is very nice and makes Social Studies come alive. We do many social activities and actually have a feel of what is was like in Ancient Times. The academics here are Challenging and the staff really helps out with kids who need special help. They have created many clubs that are fun and popular. Strong principal and leadership and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ACTIVITIES! Students love it here an there is a lot of School Spirit. I LOVE CMS! GO CUPERTINO BEARS! I love this school and it is AMAZING!

cup is a great school! if you are advanced and can get into the AP classes u are set!!!!!!!!!! the sports program is also great!!!!

I was a student at Cupertino Middle School the last three years, and I thought that there were some pretty great teachers there. However that the administration did not do a very good job at all; very little was communicated to the students, staff, or parents. Also, it seemed that the counselors' main job for the entire time i was there was to walk around at brunch and lunch to make sure kids didn't listen to their iPods. The group of students was great though. Overall, great school, not so great administration.

i was a student here at this school, looking back at the years in Cup, I had a lot of nice teacher and fun times, though at the time i thought it sucked. but comparing to all the messed up teachers at homestead high, CMS was heaven :D

I am a student at this school, and I get the feeling my teacher hates me. He would also ignore my questions. I'm not sure if they are on purpose. Without asking questions, i can't learn. Once in a while, i get insults. My mom also is s kind of mom that likes helping and participating but she would always be disappointed because there aren't many activities to part in.
—Submitted by a student

If you want band you can get it unless you're not in sixth grade wanting to be in C band. If you feel you deserve to be in band, you can talk to the offce and they will put you in. My friend did that. Band is a very popular elective that you have to work hard for. You have to practice five times a week. The talent show was announced in the morning announcements for the whole week. Cupertino is a great school. We may not be the best academically, but we have greeat sports and arts programs.
—Submitted by a student

In contrast to the school reviews, I like this school. Nothing in boring, and the HDTV's do get put to use in my classroom;).
—Submitted by a student

I went to this school for my 6th and 7th grade years and loved it. I had the BEST teachers ever who taught us so that we understood. And the kids at this school are very nice and help each other out a lot. this year I am going to Lawson and I personally prefer CUP than Lawson. GO CUP BEARS! Sad to leave this school.....
—Submitted by a student

This is a very well run factory. I met lots of efficient teachers at back to school night, they know their subject but not one suggested to me they had a clue who my kid was. There is no drama program offered. The band program cannot serve everyone who wants it, which is also unacceptable, they have a lottery for who can join. The administration's attitude toward any bump in the road is to ignore it. If 400 kids want band and there's only room for 200, then that's how it is, they would certainly not hire another band teacher like Miller did, or hire a teacher willing to offer drama (which is at Kennedy, Miller, and Lawson). The counselors have to deal with so many kids that they are utterly useless, they don't return phone calls and use email but don't ever actually answer your questions. I agree with another reviewer, communication is extremely poor. The talent show was moved way up and 90% of the kids had no idea, my kid would have tried out but they never announced when auditions were being held. Most of the teachers my kid had were quite good despite these institutional problems. But cram too many kids into a school and you shouldn't be surprised you get problems like these.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a student in CMS its my first year in cms.Its a great school!!! They have a lot fund-raisers. But we don't get to use the mac lab enough but it is a wonderful school. I had a great year!!! CMS is a great school!!! PS (i miss cms a lot!!!!)
—Submitted by a student

CMS used to be a great school back when we had a strong Principal who held students accountable for their actions. The last couple of years CMS has changed and not in a good way. I personally believe that grade inflation exists here. My child has had straight A's in past years with very little effort and has virtually no homework. Elementary school demanded more of my child s effort. There are thefts, bullying occurs, and this administration does nothing. If you report an incidence or concern, good luck getting a call back or corrective action in place. Oh yes but let's not publicize that because our home values may go down.
—Submitted by a parent

Good school. I've had better, but I have had some of the best and absolutely worst teachers from preschool to 8th grade. Your kid has to be confident in his or her self to thrive socially, and put alot of effort into his or her academics to do well. Competitive students do well in this school, but if your kid doesn't challenge themselves, they are doomed.
—Submitted by a student

All the wonderful things that were going on last year in support of the Distinguished School application seemed to fall by the wayside once the award was received. Teachers and administration make minimal use of the school website, which contributes to appallingly poor communication. There was no parent survey this year, so there was no way to give feedback. The 'no weekend homework' policy is not being honored this year. My biggest pet peeve--assigning group projects and requiring students to teach each other content on which they are then tested. Isn't that the teacher's job? This is happening across grades and subjects. My daughter has a student-assigned homework sheet (it's the weekend) that she has to research using the Internet because the group that 'taught' the content didn't cover the material adequately in their presentation. I'm thoroughly disgusted and glad to be out of this school district next year.
—Submitted by a parent

To me, CMS is a wonderful school. The teachers really interact with the students, and the whole class becomes like a huge extended family. To adress something another previous reviewer said about the courses not being challenging, I think it's just a matter of personal opinion. For instance, in Math, there are severel courses with some more challenging and fast-paced, and others slower and less challenging. For example, in sixth grade, there is Math6, which most average people are in, and then PreAlgebraA, which is for the kids who like to be challenged and go faster. It is similar in the upper grades. Although I do admit that a lot of projects in Core(Language Arts and Reading) are given out in parts, but not all. Another thing I like about CMS is the fact that we have seven periods, and thus in eighth grade we can have two electives. CMS=GREAT!
—Submitted by a student

I love this school. It has the best teachers that know how to get along with teenagers and still teach. Most of the teachers here know how to connect with the teenage mind which makes them want to come to school every morning. So far, I have never woken up one morning and dreaded going to school. This school has excellent Sports Teams. Go CUP BEARS!!! It also has the best electives for seventh and eigth graders. The teachers are all encouraging, the school itself is very safe, and i just love everything about this school...except for one small thing...the dress code is wayy to strict. my friends and i have had to change into PE clothes many times because either our skirts/shorts were too short or the straps of our shirts werent EXACTLY one inch. but other then that, I LOVE CMS!!! GO CUP BEARS!!!!
—Submitted by a student

I came from a really bad school where i was bullied. I arrived at cup for seventh grade but was held back. At first i was really depressed , it turns out i was at a second grade math level.The teacher's there were so encouraging and helped me beyond belief. I know if i hadnt gone to cupertino and had there support I wouldnt be the A student i am today. I love this school!
—Submitted by a student

I love cup! Go CMS Bears! I went to cup for my 6th 7th and 8th grade years and I loved them all. Mr P. Is the best! He's a great teacher and volleyball coach. Go CMS Bears! wwwhoooooooo!
—Submitted by a student

I had some of the best times of my life in Cupertino. The teachers here are all generally really nice, although the teachers with more experience tend to have more control over their classes. Like Ms. Natale, she was probably the best teacher I've ever had.

I Love this school! The kids in it are amazing, and it's relatively safe. It's challenging, I don't get too much homework every night. It's a great school!
—Submitted by a student