Pomolita Middle School

With more than 70 percent of the student body at free or reduced lunch I would say the enviroment is surprisingly harmonious. While at one time it was largly perceived as being a difficult enviroment those days seem to be behind it. In my experience as the parent of two girls both of whome went through Pomolita I found most of the teaching staff to be enthusiastic and when I did have a problem efforts were made by administration to amend the situation. I will say that I much prefer the methods and demeanor of the new principal who came to the school in 2007 to that of the old. As the parent of two girls who would both be considerd advanced in accademics I found the math department especially Mr. Mastros and Social Studies especially Mr. Miller and Mr. Standridge exceptional. Mrs. Leland and Mrs. Carlson 6th grade were
--Submitted by a parent

As a parent of 4 children, all of who attended Pomolita, I am happy to say, I am pleased with the changes I have seen in the past 2 decades. My 3 oldest attened school there in the 80 and 90s. It was a little war zone. I am happy to say, my youngest daughter has attended Pomolita the past 2 years and graduates from Pomolita this week. The teachers and staff have been awesome, and I think they are finally heading in the right direction. Keep it up.
--Submitted by a parent

As the parent of 2 junior high students who have attended Pomolita these are my thoughts; I was new to the community and had little choice due to rural circumstances, but with hind sight I would have looked to other avenues. While there are a few outstanding teachers here I have found more than a few who are not necessarily the best and a few who definitely should find another line of work. I think the administration is blind to what goes on in the school and indeed fosters favoritism to certain groups of students. I know many parents who agree with me and a few who don't. Look at all of your options before making a choice.
--Submitted by a parent

As a parent of two students that have attended or are attending Pomolita, I have been extremely pleased with the quality of leadership and education my children have received. I have worked directly with the principal on the School Site Council and invite other parents to attend these monthly meetings to find out up-to-date information on spending, the school plan as well as to get to know the teachers, principal and other concerned parents. The music program is excellent and there are a variety of extracurricular activities for students to choose from. The teachers have been responsive, eager to teach and well prepared. We have never had any problems with violence and we feel confident that we are sending our children to a safe environment conducive to learning.
--Submitted by a parent

As a teacher at Pomolita, I find your comments a bit concerning. We offer many unique programs to our students such as Honors Social Studies and Language Arts where students are constantly challenged and prepared for the high school experience. We have one of the highest rated music programs in the state. As a campus, we have had few 'incidents' such as fights or violent acts this year yet we still suffer from a negative community opinion that we must work on involving people like you. I welcome you to visit, voice, and participate in our schools activities instead of just writing about it. Please be active in the scene instead of behind it!
--Submitted by a teacher

The only middle school in Ukiah, it is known for it's base of problems in both light academia, low student scoring and lackluster administration. Parent involvment is fairly low. Peer culture incidents are numerous. Extracirricular programs, music, art and sports oriented activities are somewhat slim. The school, however, does endeavor to provide as much liberal arts elective as they can afford to. The Academic Programs offered are somewhat challenging but the teachers don't seem to be pushed to keep students active in learning and seem to be more concerned with getting through the day instead.
--Submitted by a parent