Roland Park Elementary/Middle School

Wonderful community, great kids, touches all the basics, but not much beyond that. Everything is test driven. if it isn't on the test, you won't see it taught in the classroom. Teaching staff & class assignment is vastly uneven, thus one can have a radically different experience dependent on one's class placement in the school. Has the components to be an amazing school, but the difficulty lies in it's administration & in particular with it's Elementary Assistant Principal who is obstructive, punitive, & stubbornly unresponsive to staff & parental suggestion. Class size is too large & instruction limited as a result. Given a different administration, more open to dialogue, the school could be truly amazing. This year's acting principal is such a delight in comparison to the former principal, who in response to parents complaining about bullying said: "There's no bulling." The anti bulling program is a joke & consists of handing out stickers with a slogan, rather than a comprehensive, far reaching anti bulling program interwoven in the curriculum throughout the year. The Middle School Assistant Principal is great though. Class size is far too large & needs capping.
—Submitted by a parent

Treachers that wreally impacted my life were my fouth grade math teacher who was just the best and even when I was in fifth grade she would let me come into her room and ask for help , ( scince my fifth grade math teacher was horrible I tried so extremly hard and she never even cared ) And of course my amazing first grade teacher who was just WOW infact her teaching was so amazing that I learned to read in just 3 months ! Even before I left she gave me hugs and asked not only about me but my entire family( my mom and her are facebook friends) ! Other than that all the other teachers I had were just unexceptable or average this school is full of favoritists , cheaters , and rule breakers . I pretty sure they do not tell parents about how our elementary vice principal has a group of girls crowding around her and how she sets a bad example and refuses to punish the girls if they do something bad ( for example my younger sister was being constanly bullied by this girl whom was part of this gruop and when my sister told on her all the vice said was I am sure a nice girl like her would never do thet ) . The academics are okay nothing amazing and the administration and principal :( .

RPEMS was so bad I have nightmares about it! I recently moved and I am very happy.I was there k-3 and it was terrible the most of the class's were hard to understand,a lot of stuff was based on favoritism,and the bullying was not under control.me and my sister went to after school and one monitors had a beer app and pretended to pour a glass of the kids! And the some of the third grade teachers gossiped more then they taught. And if you take away the teachers,students,other staff the school would still be bad! And there plan of dismissal was lose 20 minutes after elementary was dismissed the middle school can out. The whole point of this message is " thank gosh my family moved!"

It's a good school IF you assure they stay on the Adv Academic or Ingenuity tracks. In a microcosm this tracking system is what has the public system tetering on disaster. e.g. if your kid gets stuck in a "regular" track in MS they will have a really tough time getting into a civilized and positive classroom environment, and out of the "I hate school" cycle of doom.
—Submitted by a parent

I think my child, who attended middle school at Roland Park, greatly benefited from the general atmosphere of organization and discipline. In his middle school years (now doing very well in a city high school) my child just did not have the maturity to have free periods or to go out for recess without strong adult supervision. I do think the parents at Roland Park, especially those who have jobs in city government, universities and other think tank/policy places forget that they may be experts in what they do, but they are clueless about how to run a school or pretty much do anything other than moan and complain, let the school people run the school. One very small minority of parents in particular really made my child feel uncomfortable because they were lobbying for school changes that just did not work of me and my child. I may have gone to UMBC, not some fancy college, but I know when my child is happy and learning. I just wish the tiny and overly vocal reform group at RPMS would remember that what is right for them is not right for everybody. The school is very structured and has strong leadership, but I liked it that way and it worked for my son.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has an amazing parent community and is seen as the best public school in Baltimore. My kids got a good elementary education, and there are some real gems among the teaching staff. However, the bureaucratic administrators have created a climate that values the ease of the adults over what's good for kids. Parents that want to fundraise, chaperone or volunteer in the cafeteria are OK. However, if you have an idea, a question, want information about curriculum, then you are treated to condescension, avoidance and delay. Many families bail out if they can for middle school, but the school has no incentive to be more transparent or less toxic because there are always more families lining up to take their place as the quality of schools overall in Baltimore is so uneven. Unfortunately as well, the administrators feel that a command and control culture of discipline is necessary, making middle school a bigger drag for the kids than it needs to be. I really wish this school had better leadership that set a tone of empathy for children, openness to parents at the table as decision makers and commitment to making this a school that educates heads AND hearts and bodies.
—Submitted by a parent

it's ok I mean it does not deserve #3 no offense It is creative in the classrooms though
—Submitted by a teacher

I LOVE THIS SCHOOL!!!! Its only my first year, but the students, teachers, administrators, and parents are great. We have community activities and the teachers think of creative things to do, educationally. I also like this school because it has all different races, colors, and people. I would recommend this school to any kid looking for a fun time, a great education, and some happy memories.

I had to pull my son from RP, which he had attended from first through fifth. The bullying was horrendous and often directed at my son. I pleaded all the way to the board many times to no avail. I felt like an abusive parent just sending my child to school. The cursing, the tough attitudes, the rudeness of the children is disturbing. I could write a book about the absolute absurdity of this school...and all that is swept under the rug. And if you are a parent of a bullied child, be prepared to be shunned.....until other children begin to get bullied. Then the parents will be calling on you for help. My son is in a co-ed private school and is so happy he is like the kid I knew before the fiasco at Roland Park Public School. My son prefers getting a real education as opposed to memorizing for the state and nation tests. And at his new school, they practice physical education everyday. Considering today's world of computers, cell phones and texting (not to mention the number of overweight children)....phys ed is, in my opinion, a necessity. . The lack of empathy, civility and compassion at Roland Park Public School is criminal
—Submitted by a parent

Great parent community. Committed principal and faculty.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm new to Maryland. I searched long and hard for my child to get the best education. Amongst my search I found Roland Park; Did my research, read the reviews and asked around, this school seemed to be the best choice for my child. I must say the Principal and the administrative staff has not made the trainsition easy. They failed to proved me the proper information I needed to enroll my child via phone, so I traveled to MD. hoping to communicate better face to face. This is when I met the Principal her unprofessional attitude was SHOCKING! I was surprised she was so RUDE since the school has such a great reputation for academic excellence. If I didn't already sign my lease, I would not send my child there simply due to her attitude. I wonder how the rest of the school year is going to go.
—Submitted by a parent

It is a wonderful community of dedicated teachers, involved parents and friendly kids!
—Submitted by a parent

they have wonderful teachers, administrators, and parents who want all the kids to do well
—Submitted by a parent

In a neighborhood surrounded by private schools and private school families, it's easy to feel pressure to go that route. But, from the first time we walked into that school (more than 7 years ago), RPEMS made it easy for us to stay public school believers. Our children and their friends are thriving in a calm, curious, caring place.
—Submitted by a parent

they have wonderful teachers and a great program that integrates the arts.
—Submitted by a parent

I love RPEMS because both my kids love the school. There are great teachers, great opportunities for music and sports. The active PTA has made a big difference as well.
—Submitted by a parent

Good teachers, healthy environment, good parents involvement. My son loves it!
—Submitted by a parent

RPEMS is a true community school. This is a school truly is part of the families and the families are part of the school. Go RPEMS.
—Submitted by a parent

RPEMS has all of the key components that make up a great school. We have wonderful teachers and active smart creative parents who have smart creative children. Everyone works together.
—Submitted by a parent

True, Roland Park is one of the best public schools in B'moreCity. It has greater resources due to its well-funded&highly involved PTA. And yes, RP has high test scores. But I don't believe these scores are a result of the curriculum, which is mediocre. This is a population of kids that's been read to early & often; the parent base is highly-educated, upper-middle class. True, most RP teachers are dedicated to excellence. But the administration is bureaucratic & lacks imagination. It leads either by avoidance or adherence to the status quo. Your child is viewed only as a set of test scores . Finally, I disagree that this school is 'just as good as area private schools.' Except in Math, this is untrue. Private schools have the resources to offer greater enrichment in many areas & low student-teacher ratios. RP is fine and it's free. For my family that's enough.
—Submitted by a parent