Pioneer Middle School

Fabulous music program. It is a serious class and not for goofing off but for those willing to work it is an incredible experience. Very big school, so it can be a rough transition from elementary. It really is too big. Some excellent teachers. Fairly diverse student body. Pedagogy not inspired but it is solid.
—Submitted by a parent

Introductory Band is not recommended for children with no musical background. The music teacher s specialty is in conducting skilled child musicians, who already know how to play an instrument & know the music basics. His dictatorial teaching style is best for self-directed children, who can win awards & sit perfectly still 45 minutes each day, 5 days a week, while telling them what to do. Therefore, a prerequisite for Beginning Band should be prior musical training. There is little tolerance & patience for those who do not immediately pick up the lesson. The teacher lacks the patience to explain how to work an instrument & read music. He is unapproachable to novice musicians because he reprimands & chides those who ask for help. Additionally, the teacher provided a hostile & confrontational environment whenever the restlessness of the solid B+ student was addressed with the student, during or after, class, or the parent. He was clearly resolved to limiting the student to the first semester. It is severely disappointing that such an abusive introduction could potentially discourage future musicians from the wonderful world of music.
—Submitted by a parent

Pioneer is one of the GREATEST middle schools in the nation. It has won TWO California Distinguished School awards, one NATIONAL Blue Ribbon School award, and it has been ranked the NUMBER ONE school in Orange County. The teachers and staff work extremely hard to make sure students get excellent grades. After all, Pioneer's motto is "To maximize every student's academic potential and personal responsibility." People have said that there are too many students at Pioneer, but that is because the school is so awesome, over a THOUSAND families want their kids to go there. ALSO: Pioneer's Band and Orchestra plays "like the NY Philharmonic" and has performed at Disneyland for over 10 years. Why SHOULDN'T you go to Pioneer? (:

I'm in the 8th grade this year and this school has brought me nothing but happiness. It is a wonderful school and I've loved every minute that I've had at Pioneer. All of my teachers that I have or had were phenomenal and I couldn't think of a better school that I would want to go to. Thank you for the great times I had. GO WILDCATS! :D
—Submitted by a student

Pioneer is so awesome ... all the teachers are cool and the new prcincipal is great and there is nothing bad to say about Pioneer Middle School. Their motto is 'To maximize every student's academic potential and personal responsibility.'
—Submitted by a student

An excellent school. Probably one of the greatest public middle schools in California. Received both a Blue Ribbon and California Distinguished School awards. The teachers are great and the education is amazing. Great school
—Submitted by a student

Very well run school. My son is getting excellent attention and teaching there.
—Submitted by a parent

Pioneer is the best. We have a bunch of fun activities, and we also maintain a bunch of good academic stuff. Our orchestra and bands are great, and so are our API points.
—Submitted by a student

Pioneer is 1 of the best middle schools I have ever seen. The people are great and the teachers are amazing. Teachers like Mrs. Badraun and Mrs. Flint they were really good teachers. Mrs. Flint is really cool she could be strict and but always make learining in some kind fun. If any parent decides to enroll your child at Pioneer you are making the best decison you could ever make for your child.
—Submitted by a student

I wanted to thank Mr. Mattos and all the staff for doing EXCELLENT JOB! at Pioneer Middle School.
—Submitted by a parent

Pioneer Middle school is outstanding! Mr. Mattos and the staff work together to make middle school life one of the best experiences I have had in my life. I am going to be President of Pioneer this fall and would give this school 5 stars in everything except discipline. Some of the punishments are weird and don't fit the action but there is always a flaw in every school. Math: A- I understand everything clearly. Many students get confused in the way the math teachers say things. P.E.: A. Very involved with everyday things. Science: A+. I have learned so much in my 2 years at Pioneer in the science department. Core Lang/Soc Stud: A- Many of the teachers are excellent but a couple do not meet my expectations. Electives: B Teachers are fun but mess around little to much. Clubs/Sports:A Excellent venue any one can do something they like. Overall:A
—Submitted by J.D., a student

Since Mr. Mattos has been principal the focus has been on the bottom 5% of the students. The GATE/Honors program has gone by the wayside. Non GATE trained teachers are teaching these classes and there is no program for the high achievers at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

The best middle school you can get. They have excellent teachers that are nice and provide one of the best educations, the best music program with Doug Fischer as director, many electives, many great extra-curricular activities, friendly students and a great administrative staff. Wait-A-Go Pioneer!
—Submitted by a student

I am a substitute teacher for the TUSD and so I have seen the inside of all of these great schools, but Pioneer is the best one by far. It all begins with the attitude of the principal and trickles down from there. This principal is very involved every minute of the day. From standing in front of the school everyday greeting everyone as they enter, to countless meetings with teachers and parents, this guy is Mr. Incredible. He always has such a positive attitude and tons of energy. It transcends to the teachers and then to the students. I have never seen a better, happier group of teachers at any other school. Good Job!
—Submitted by a teacher

I am very impressed with the quality of this school. However, I feel that there is way too much reliance on the parents for academics in the form of excessive homework and very stringent rules. The school has excellent extracurricular activities. I feel that the school's discipline program can be improved. Sometimes the consequence does not seem to fit the action.
—Submitted by a parent

My niece attends this school, and her father is thrilled with the difference in education quality between this school and the PRIVATE school she used to attend in Glendale, CA. She is challenged, without being overworked, and has projects that apply to what she learns.
—Submitted by a parent

Music Program: Excellent, Challenging, professional. P.E. department: Fair Advance Mathematics: Teachers get an A+. Superior ability on motivating students to excell and go past and beyond the average. Principal: Good job. Needs to get more involved in supervising the GATE program. A bit confused about our 'qualifyig' for the program... Needed to be reminded that 'a Spanish origin last name doesn't necesarily indicate that our family worked in the strawbery picking field'. Well... Over all, a good school. Would move to another school if possible. Would miss the Math, Science and Music Department's solid teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a very large school for a middle school. Occasionaly the kids can be lost in the crowd. If you child is outgoing they can excel. Challenging honors curriculum but many exceptional students take regular courses instead of honors coursee to get higher GPA's. Decent school sports. Good parental involvement and you better be. There is definetley the beginning of the caste system.
—Submitted by Erik, a parent

This school has too many kids. The kids get lost in a number. There are so many kids that it seems more like a college. Communication with teachers is lacking. I feel like I have no handle whatsoever in what is going on.
—Submitted by a parent

Outstanding learning environment. Parental involvement is very high and the teaching/administrative staff are top notch. Safe and clean. There is a real sense of pride at Pioneer.
—Submitted by a parent