John Wesley Powell Middle School

I have mixed emotions about this school. I feel that there are alot of positive opportunities (string... violin etc.) Overall, I am fairly satisfied with the teachers, and so far with the counselors, administration, but my daughter needed help with math, and I couldn't even get a reply to my e-mails for tutoring( I e-mailed 4 separate math teachers) that I wanted to offer pay for. I am a nurse, and if one of my patients asked for help, and I ignored them, I would be considered negligent...what gives? When did our kids stop mattering?
—Submitted by a parent

Stay very far away from this school if you want your kids to develop healthy relationships with their peers. Most of the kids have a sense of entitlement, and think the world revolves around them. There is a ton of peer pressure, which the administration does nothing about. The principal walks around campus like some kind of big-shot, with a plastered smile on his face--all the while pretending like everything is under control. I've heard great things about Euclid. Euclid has a reputation for hiring teachers who care, and they have a principal who fosters an environment of respect. There is also a leadership program that encourages students to make personal goals and give back to the community. I really don't think you'll find anything close to that at Powell.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in her 2nd year at Powell. I am very impressed with one of the counselors and how he handled a situation that could have turned into bullying. There are some good teachers at Powell as well. The administration is terrible. The Principal seems to only be focused on good PR for the school. He seems to lack the character and depth needed for this key leadership position. The same seems to be true for the VP as well. I would change my daughter to another middle school but because of friends at such a hard age, we will likely stick it out there. Euclid seems to be a much better school. I understand the principal and teachers there are outstanding. I'm not sure about Goddard. Denver Public Schools are also showing very strong middle schools. My 4th grader will not attend Powell.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a former student and was severely disappointed, even traumatized during my time at Powell. I have always been particularly bright and had little trouble academically. I throughly enjoyed the wide variety of classes available, however socially Powell is brutal. The girls are all highly competitive, and cruel. I remeber feeling completely isolated socially because I didn't hang out with the "right people", nor did I buy my attire from American Eagle, Hollister, Abercrombie, etc. when I had the option of shopping at high end boutiques instead. Most students have lots of money, and are harsh on those who do not. I remember a girl giving me a hard time because my nanny drove a car that was more than 10 years old. I have become close friends with lots of people who attended Powell as well, most whom I know until after graduation, and they all felt similarly isolated . The one benefit of being a pariah at Powell is that it gives you tough skin and helps you to become more socially ept later in life. Most of the people I know who were on the outs at Powell, myself included, become very popular in high school as they have fared social Sibera and have vowed to never let it happen again.

If you want your child to experience cliques, girls wearing make-up at age 11, extreme competitiveness, sink-or-swim attitudes with teachers, and a phony principal--then this is the school for you! I highly recommend checking out other middle schools before subjecting your child to this place. Middle school is hard enough without the pressures and other garbage that are prevalent at Powell.
—Submitted by a parent

Powell is an excellent school. Both of my daughters are currently attending. The teachers are great and parents are empowered and included. Each year I opt my children out of the CSAP tests, now named TCAP. The administrators and teachers are supportive of parental rights when it comes to protecting the interests of our children. The administrator even commented, "Parents have the final authority in regards to their child's education."
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has suffered for 2 years at Powell. She is not a complainer but has recently been informing me of the problems. In 6th grade under the old principal she loved it. 7th & 8th grade have not been good. To quote her " The bad kids can do whatever they want and nothing happens. The good kids slip up once and are in all kinds of trouble." A kid picked her up and threw her out of his way and nothing was done. She does not feel reporting it would do any good. Good luck to anyone enrolling.
—Submitted by a parent

Powell has been in transition the past 3 years with a long time principal leaving and a new one coming in. The new one Mr. Wolf is very inexperienced and does not have a sense of where he wants to go. Many teachers have or are retiring since he arrived and he seems to take all his direction from his bosses with no opinion of his own. I have seen the quality of the school greatly decline. Now there are long term substitutes for teachers that had been there forever and a mass exiting at the end of next year, our kids are confused about what subs will be there and where their teachers are. We will be open enrolling in Cherry Creek or Douglas County next year for sure and it is too bad under the last principal with our oldest child it was an amazing school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has been amazing the past 3 years here I highly recommend it to everyone .....Im in 8th grade
—Submitted by a student

This is our first year at Powell and are greatly disappointed by the teachers and relationships with the students. Our first day all they talked about was 'detenion' if our students did not follow the rules. Needless to say we will not be attending next year.
—Submitted by a parent

The staff is not supportive at all. There is no support for the 'average' student. Once your child is labeled 'average,' average performance is good enough for the teachers. They don't encourage your child to exceed expectations.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school. This school offers a full range of music, art, shop, home economics, band, computers etc. The teachers are wonderful and parent involvement is encouraged.
—Submitted by Meg, a parent

I have been very disappionted with this school.My daughter is currently in 6th grade and she is having some problems adjusting to middle school.We have had several meetings and all the staff will do is complain and about her performance but they do not help her. The school offered a after school program leading us to believe that it would be a substitute for summer school,but after attending for several weeks we were told that was not the case.Overall this school and staff have really let us down and I would not reccomend it to anyone who asks.
—Submitted by sharon lewis, a parent